“The turnout wasn’t good. We expected a lot more,” said Ashok Mandava, who organized the program.

However, he was pleased with the event overall. “It was really powerful,” he said. “The speakers were really good.”

The seminar, emceed by Vice President for Student Life Eddie Knowles, consisted of a series of speakers, each with a unique perspective on the issue. The speakers included Robert Benedetto, investigator with the State Liquor Authority; Officer Charles McCabe of the New York State Troopers; Travis Apgar, associate Dean of Students in charge of the campus judicial system; Terri Kersch, educator at the Health Center; Roger Dames from Hudson Valley AAA; and Dean Bodner, a member of the Rensselaer County Victim Impact Panel, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver.

Kersch was particularly impressed that a program like this was initiated by students. “Research shows that when peers are working on a project, there’s more attention given to it,” she said.

For Knowles, the topic struck a personal note. During his years at RPI, he’s had to deal with several cases involving alcohol where students were killed. “I don’t ever want to go to another funeral again, particularly one for a student over something that could’ve been avoided,” he said.

Apgar spoke about the Institute’s policies regarding DWI. In addition to working with Troy police on criminal charges, RPI’s judicial system can assess penalties including academic suspension or expulsion.

“We view this as a very serious kind of violation,” Apgar said.

Apgar also said that the consequences of drunk driving go far beyond just the driver. Passengers, bystanders, and the families of all those involved are affected. “I don’t know that everybody always understands the consequences of this kind of behavior,” he said.

In addition to the seminar, the RHA sold pledge cards and sponsored a booth at the Health Fair on Friday. A wrecked car was set up on Freshman Hill to serve as a reminder of what can happen when a drunk driver gets behind the wheel.

The RHA is a member of the North East Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls. Members of RHA attended a recent conference of NEACURH, which provided the inspiration to start this program.

While Mandava has had no personal experience with drunk driving, he believes that programs like this are important and would like to see it happen again.