The SouthEnd's front page features Sigma Pi Alcohol Awareness Month

Sigma Pi urges WSU students to drink moderately

Fraternities have garnered a reputation that stereotypically involves drinking, partying and sex. The mere mention of a frat party conjures up images from the movie “Animal House.” To dismiss the stereotype that fraternities and sororities are all about alcohol and partying, the Wayne State University chapter of Sigma Pi Fraternity International is hosting Alcohol Awareness Month, which will take place from mid-March to mid-April.

“We try to do it the month after spring break to curb the binge drinking mood college students get into after going on break,” said Rami Touma, 21, campus relations chair for Sigma Pi and a computer science major.

“The goal behind the campaign is not to convince students to quit drinking, but we're actually taking a compromising position by telling student to cut down.”

Touma said Sigma Pi wants to educate students about the dangers of alcohol and the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

He said the message for the event this year is "You don’t have to quit drinking, you just need to know when to stop."

“Alcoholism is a rampant problem across college universities,” said Dan Garas, vice president of the WSU chapter of Sigma Pi.

Sigma Pi has partnered with some bars frequented by WSU students such as Circa 1890, The Majestic, Harry's of Detroit, and Coaches Corner for the event. These bars will offer a free non-alcoholic drink with a coupon Sigma Pi handed out when they tabled in the Student Center last week.

They also passed out other literature, provided to them by the Michigan Health Department, that offered more health and alcohol awareness.

Garas, 24, an industrial design major, also said 30 percent of college failure is due to over-consumption of alcohol.

“Sigma Pi Fraternity International has organized this event to pay tribute to the thousands of students whose lives are negatively affected each year because of the reckless abuse of alcohol, whether it is students who have died in car accidents, girls who were sexually assaulted under the influence of alcohol, or just those who have failed some classes due to binge drinking,” Touma said.

“And we also do this in loving memory of Sam Spady, a dear friend of Sigma Pi (Colorado chapter) who died from alcohol poisoning a year and a half ago.”

Different chapters of Sigma Pi on different campuses across the country have sponsored Alcohol Awareness programs in honor of Sam Spady through The Sam Spady Foundation, which was created by the fraternity.

Learn more @
SPI_Community_Service /Alcohol_Awareness

Excerpted in part from The South End
http://www.southend.wayne.edu/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2413