Hoping to combat what is perceived as an epidemic of alcoholism on the UW-Madison campus, a determined group of students decided to take matters into its own hands. Sharing only a mutual desire for chemical abstinence, Sober Students on Campus held their inaugural meeting Friday, playing games and sculpting instead of hitting the bottle.
\We're just looking for a way for non-drinking students to get together and have fun on the weekends: to provide an alternative to hitting the bars every night,"" said UW-Madison sophomore Matt Donovan, a member of Sober Students.
Founded and led by UW-Madison sophomore Tamara Lawless, the organization aims to provide an alternative to the bar and house party scenes. Lawless initiated the organization after her freshman year, when she felt alienated in her opposition to an increasingly alcohol-soaked environment.
""As a freshman, it was really challenging for me to meet other non-drinking students. I was sort of lonely,"" Lawless said. ""It was frustrating. It seemed like everyone was doing something that I didn't want to.""
Lawless did not have to look far for student backing. She initially found support on www.thefacebook.com when her group, ""Sober and Still Fun,"" quickly found popularity among similarly frustrated UW-Madison students. The group presently has 130 members.
After the group's initial spate of popularity, Lawless sought to transform the cyber-group into a UW-Madison student organization. Upon receiving a $350 grant from the Wisconsin Union Directorate, she scheduled the commencement meeting at Union South.
Despite the members' array of political, religious and personal beliefs, they remained united in their crusade.
""Even though we came from diverse backgrounds, we could still enjoy each other's company and desire not to get smashed,"" Lawless said. ""I thought it was really, really successful. I was pleased with the outcome and thought everyone had a good time. We'll definitely be planning future meetings.""
UW-Madison sophomore Mark Domaszek agreed.
""I enjoyed it a lot. I was surprised when I got there, because I really didn't know what to expect. There was stuff there that I wouldn't normally do, but had fun doing anyway,"" he said.
Citing numerous positive phone calls she has received in the past few days, Lawless is even more convinced of the group's success, especially in relation to how the group will affect next year's freshmen, who have previously been unexposed to any non-alcoholic activity of this scope.
""This is something this campus was lacking that we've added to,"" she said.
