Bengals Against Drunk Driving (B.A.D.D.) Awareness Event

Buffalo State students will highlight the dangers of drinking and driving during a Bengals Against Drunk Driving (B.A.D.D.) awareness event and vigil, Wednesday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Speakers will talk about the specific consequences of drinking and driving, followed by a vigil for Erika P. Hoerner, a Buffalo State freshman who was killed February 5, 2011, in a drunk-driving accident in which she was a passenger. Speakers include Charles Kenyon, dean of students; Deanna Kwiatkowski, of the Crusade Against Impaired Driving; Sam Maislin, a former assistant district attorney who now specializes in drunken driving cases, and representatives from Designated Drivers of Buffalo. Participants at the ceremony also can view and purchase Hoerner’s artwork, which will be on display.

This event culminates three days of drunken driving awareness on campus, sponsored by Alpha Epsilon Phi, the United Students Government, the Weigel Health Center, the Counseling Center, and a Faculty-Student Association grant. On Monday night, more than 100 students participated in T-shirt decorating and quilt-making projects, pledging “to do their part” and not drink and drive.

“We have had overwhelming response,” said Paula A. Madrigal, graduate assistant for health promotions in the Weigel Health Center. “Students not only want to ‘do their part,’ they want to be part of it, too.”