The 2018 Take the Lead Campaign is in full swing! Check out Penn State student leaders by clicking here. Featured student, Meghan Field, shares with peers how she takes the lead on campus. Her message to students is “You may think that drinking will help you fit in and gain respect. In reality, drinking can keep you from having meaningful experiences. Don’t let drinking be the focus of your time at Penn State.” Penn State offers many free services for students concerned about their alcohol use: Self-Help Resources.
As part of the 2014 Take the Lead campaign, Off-Campus Student Union President Luke Amory recommends that students know their limits and stick to them.
This is great advice, but how do you figure out what limit to set? Understanding how alcohol affects the body may help you. Although it’s classified as a depressant drug, alcohol produces stimulant effects (a “buzz”) when consumed at low levels. After a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rises above 0.06, alcohol’s depressant nature kicks in, producing the negative effects associated with drinking too much (ex. slurred speech and impaired motor skills).
So, if you choose to drink, keep your BAC below 0.06. To determine how many drinks per hour will put a person of your sex and weight at or around a 0.06 BAC, use the charts below. For example, if you are a female who is between 140 and 160 lbs., having two drinks or fewer per hour will help you avoid experiencing alcohol’s negative depressant effects. Click here for tips on how to stick to your limit.
Zane Douglass, former President of the Council of Lionhearts, has a simple message to add to the 2014 Take the Lead campaign: if you choose to drink, be smart about it. This means using various strategies to take care of yourself and your friends. Let’s break down Zane’s advice point by point:
Eat beforehand: Eating a full meal before drinking is an effective way to slow your body’s absorption of alcohol. When you have food in your stomach, the digestion process slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. It’s important to eat before and/or during drinking—eating after the fact won’t have any effect on blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Drink plenty of water: Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes your body to lose water via increased urine production. Drinking water helps replenish lost fluids and prevents dehydration. Alternating alcoholic beverages with water or other non-alcoholic beverages is also an excellent strategy for pacing yourself and keeping your BAC low.
Stay with a group of friends you know will look out for you: It’s important to go out with friends that you know well and trust. Use the buddy system to check in on each other, hold each other accountable to drink limits, and make sure everyone gets home safely. And if a friend needs help for alcohol poisoning, one of you can call 911.
Five more student leaders are lending their voices to the Take the Lead campaign to encourage other students to make responsible decisions about drinking and involvement at Penn State. Now in its fifth year, the campaign features student leaders and their advice about staying safe, getting involved, and staying true to one’s goals and values.
The Take the Lead campaign is sponsored by the following student groups: University Park Undergraduate Association, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, Off-Campus Student Union, Student Athlete Advisory Council, Area Residence Hall Associations and Council of Lionhearts.
Check out the album below to see posters featuring the following students:
Luke Amory (’16 Biomedical Engineering)
President, Off-Campus Student Union
Meaghan DeMallie (’15 Marketing)
President, Panhellenic Council
Zane Douglass (’14 Industrial Engineering)
Former President, Council of Lionhearts
Raquel (Rocky) Rodriguez (’16 Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management) Midfielder/Forward, Women’s Soccer Team
Bukola Toyobo (’16 Biology)
Secretary, Student National Medical Association
Program Assistant, The Ritner-Wolf Experience
We are Penn State. Whether roared by 100,000 strong in Beaver Stadium, shouted at Penn State hopefuls touring campus, or during the final moments of THON, chances are you’ve heard these four words countless times. But what do they actually mean? The obvious explanation is that as students, alumni, faculty, and staff, we all identify with Penn State in some way. But this simplistic interpretation falls short in encompassing the unity, spirit, and pride felt by the many who lend their voices to this chant.
As you gather with other Penn Staters to celebrate Homecoming 2014, take the opportunity to reflect on what “We are Penn State” means to you. What is your role as a member of the Penn State family, and how does your personal behavior represent us as a whole?
For Meaghan DeMallie, the answer is clear. As a marketing student, THON participant, and President of the Panhellenic Council, being part of Penn State has meant much more than just getting an education. Through service, involvement, and sisterhood, Meaghan’s Penn State experiences have helped shape her into the leader she is today. Because of that, Meaghan takes pride in representing not only herself but also her organizations and the Penn State community. Check out Meaghan’s advice below and remember— if you choose to make drinking part of your Homecoming celebration, Take the Lead and do it responsibly.
Student leaders across University Park are once again encouraging their fellow students to “take the lead” and make responsible decisions about drinking and involvement at Penn State. This time, they have a video to spread the message.
The “Take the Lead” campaign, now in its fourth year, features six student leaders from various groups, teams and organizations on campus. In the campaign, the leaders share their advice on how to be responsible and make the most of one’s time at Penn State.
This is the first year the Take the Lead campaign has included a video, which the participating organizations felt could help raise awareness among students. In the video, the student leaders share their thoughts on how to stand firm in a decision not to drink, how to make friends without partying, and how to be safe downtown, among other insights.
Student leaders across Penn State are once again encouraging their peers to “take the lead” and make responsible decisions about drinking and involvement at Penn State.
The “Take the Lead” campaign is once again making its appearance on campus in the form of posters and advertisements. The campaign features student leaders from six on-campus groups, each opening up about their advice to their peers about how to act responsibly, especially when it comes to drinking.
For example, Ariel Edwards, a member of the Lady Lions basketball team, encourages students who choose not to drink to stand firm in their decision and not be intimidated.
Joe Charette, a senior studying psychology and President of Delta Lambda Phi fraternity, encourages his peers to step in when friends have had too much to drink.
This year, UPUA, CCSG, IFC, Panhellenic Council, OCSU, Student Athlete Advisory Council, Area Residence Hall Associations, and Council of Lionhearts all are participating in the “Take the Lead” campaign.
