Spring Break
Greek councils stress responsible alcohol use in biannual seminar
Robert S. Hong
Daily Senior Staff Writer
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"Tonight is about alcohol awareness and how to be responsible citizens," said junior John Stoll, vice president of SJSU's Interfraternity Council, which governs 10 of SJSU's 21 fraternities.
"Many new members are young, and we want to make them aware of the harms and dangers of drinking and drugs," Stoll said.
Senior communications major Erin Keifer is the president of the Panhellenic Council, which governs five of SJSU's 14 sororities.
"It's nice to have members coming to share their stories," Keifer said. "It's to our benefit. If we ever find ourselves caught in situations (that involve alcohol use), we want to do our best to be there to help our members."
The ballroom was filled with sorority and fraternity members, who were required to attend. The seminar, which lasted from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., consisted of a segment on alcohol awareness for new members and a motivational segment for all members.
The activities were hosted by Brandy Bulawski, vice president of programs for the Panhellenic Council, and Jason Katser, vice president of events for the Interfraternity Council.
The two introduced several speakers who shared their experiences with alcohol and its consequences.
The first speaker to take the stage was Walker Kellogg, former president of the Interfraternity Council and member of the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha.
Kellogg described a night when he chose to drive his friends to the bars rather than walking a short distance.
"That night, I only had 3 drinks and I figured that would be OK for me," he said. "I was the most sober person there."
On the way home, Kellogg was pulled over and arrested by the police.
"I went to spend the night in jail," he said.
The next speaker, Jen Olszewski of Delta Gamma, told her story of being cited for being a minor in possession.
After using a fabricated identification card to purchase alcohol, Olszewski and her friend were approached by an undercover police officer who asked her how old she was.
"He was a young guy, and I thought he was flirting with me, so I told him I was 18," she said.
She said she was in court three different times over the case and had to take a class on alcoholism.
Delta Upsilon member Joey Kilaita said he had a similar incident with "a girl who looked about 17."
The "girl" was an undercover police officer, who cited him for being a minor in possession.
"It was a huge hassle," he said.
Pi Kappa Alpha member Jimmy Dunn told of a time when he was intoxicated beyond recognition at a football game.
"We were at a tailgate, and I had not eaten anything," he said. "I thought it would be great if we just beer bonged some wine."
Dunn said he ended up at the hospital later that day.
"Luckily, I didn't have to get my stomach pumped," he said. "But I felt it was a bad representation of the Greek system."
As a former resident adviser in the dormitories, Dunn said he had seen his share of people overly intoxicated.
He warned the crowd, "Be careful what you drink."
The final speaker on the topic of alcohol was SJSU student Chara Gorman.
She said she had had her fill of drinking during high school and decided she would choose to spend most of her sorority days sober.
"I'm lucky I'm still alive," she said. "I hope to never be drunk again."
She also addressed the notion that some people believe it is impossible to join the Greek system and keep a religious faith.
"You can have your faith and be a part of the system," she said. "You can live the life you want to live and never fall under the grasp of peer pressure."
