Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Chris Gifford Food, games and 'mocktails' were the highlights of this year's LollaNoBooza. The event, organized by the Alcohol and Drug Education Program, was meant to show students a good time without alcohol.

Media Credit: Chris Gifford Students cheer on Roscoe the Lion as he falls behind in the dizzy bat race at last week's LollaNoBooza.

The fall semester began Aug. 26 with the College's annual LollaNoBooza festival. The event, organized by the College's Alcohol and Drug Eduction Program, was purposely scheduled on Tuesday night to coincide with the popular drinking night and designed to show students they can enjoy college life without alcohol.

LollaNoBooza also presented an opportunity for campus clubs and organizations to reach out to new students and get them interested in the many activities available at the College.

Sponsors included several fraternities and sororities as well as the College's various clubs and sports organizations.

From 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., students wandered to different events staged throughout Lions' Stadium, the Packer parking lot and the tennis courts.

Students were invited to "come and dance the night away" at the tennis courts, as participants competed in a freeze dance / dance-off.

Derick Burrows, freshmen

electrical engineering major, was the center of attention there, constantly moving and putting on an impressive show.

The Psychology Club featured surveys testing students' knowledge of celebrities and movies. Correct answers were rewarded with candy, a popular incentive at several tables.

The events at Lions' Stadium challenged students' athletic abilities with a three-legged race, speed-pitch and T-ball. Kevin Fitzpatrick, senior criminal justice major, worked the dizzy bat race, an event sponsored by Delta Zeta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

"It's a lot better than last year's (event)," Fitzpatrick said.

The wrestling team sponsored the Pirate Island event, which featured the Swamper Stomper, an inflated obstacle course. A long line of students waited throughout the night for the chance to race two at a time through the course.

"There were very well-planned activities for the young kids," Dave Kiley, senior marketing major and wrestler, said. "(They) can get off on the right foot for college without having to drink."

LollaNoBooza, which was free for students, was completely financed by grant money from the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

According to a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, college students are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than the average population.

The purpose of the night's events seemed to elude some, as intoxicated students were visible, though they were the minority.

In a time when binge drinking seems to plague college campuses across the nation, LollaNoBooza offered an opportunity for a good time with a sober mind.

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