By MONICA KELLY

mak012@latech.edu

 

The scenery of South Service Road west is changing. At 6:30 p.m. March 30 in the vacant area west of Temple Baptist Church, a vigil will take place to honor victims whose lives have been lost to alcohol-related accidents on this road.

Stacy Gilbert, an assistant athletic director for academics, said a display will be set up at this location, similar to the Domestic Abuse Resistance Team display at the Civic Center, with silhouettes to represent every life lost to alcohol in the last 10 years.

“We anticipate having the display up for two weeks,” Gilbert said.

“It will then go up several times per year with the same caption, ‘Lives Lost to Alcohol.’ Not many people know that there have been 29 lives lost to alcohol in the past 10 years.”

Gilbert also said the vigil should be very powerful.

“Letters have been sent to the families of all the victims to let them know that we are thinking of them and to see if they wish to be involved,” Gilbert said.

“I assume some of the family members will be there, but many of them haven’t even been down that service road since their loss.

“For those who haven’t gone down that path and decide to come, this will be a powerful experience.”

The vigil not only honors the victims of the accidents, but serves to raise awareness that these incidences occur more frequently than students know.

“It only takes a second for everything to change,” Gilbert said.

“For those who know me well, my message has never been abstinence, abstinence, abstinence [from alcohol].

“My message is to be responsible. I want students to drive by on the way to [the businesses], see the display and be reminded to make good choices.” 

Gilbert said the money for the display is from a grant given to Tech by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to address alcohol-related issues on Tech’s campus and in the Ruston community.

“As a result of this grant, a Campus and Community Coalition was formed to discuss problems and seek solutions in Lincoln Parish,” Gilbert said.

“The target areas became underage drinking and driving while under the influence.

“These target areas spurred the idea of the silhouette display,” Gilbert said.

Clarence Thomas, grant coordinator, coordinator of Alcohol and Other Drugs Education and a licensed professional counselor, said the coalition has partnered with various law enforcement agencies, community resources, students, teachers and faculty and faith-based organizations to build constructive dialogue between the campus and community.

“The coalition serves to directly coordinate efforts between university and community agencies, collaborate in the publicity of clear messages promoting responsible decision-making, as well as explore environmental factors that may encourage high-risk drinking behavior,” Thomas said.

Amrith De Soysa, a freshman pre-business major and Tech golfer who is assisting on the project, said the coalition is a great idea and the display will probably have a huge impact on the community.

“When you see the silhouettes of the number of people who aren’t with us anymore because of carelessness, the numbers will overwhelm you,” De Soysa said.

“I know that I make smart decisions every day of my life, because your decisions not only affect you, but everyone around you as well.”

For more information on the campus and community coalition, contact Thomas at 257-2488 or by e-mail at cthomas@latech.edu, or Gilbert at 257-4111 or stacyc@latech.edu.