The drinking culture at Chapman University is no secret. Students are likely to witness some form of unhealthy drinking habits, whether that is directly participating in drinking themselves, watching it as a bystander at a party or hearing about it in class the next day. Nearby bars and convenience stores allow for such easy access, so one strategic and corporate communication (SCC) class is stepping up to educate students about healthier habits through a variety of entertaining methods.

All SCC majors are required to take the SCC 400 course Message Design 2, in which students apply what they have learned throughout the SCC program to develop and implement a successful communication campaign. 

There are four teams within the class calling the shots: Public Relations and Outreach, Events, Social Media and Research. The teams work together to execute a full campaign for their topic. For this year, the class’ selected campaign is “Rethink Your Drink.” 

“Our teacher explained that [this campaign] has never successfully been run on a college campus,” said fellow junior SCC major Lauren Morrow. “She thought we were a really great group to try it out.”

The group knows they can’t put a prohibition on alcohol consumption for all students — Quaccia knows people wouldn’t react well to that message.

“Through fun events and tabling activities, we are getting people to be more aware of what they’re drinking and how much they're drinking,” Quaccia said. “It’s not fear, but healthy caution.”

How do you make such a taboo topic like teaching the negative effects of drinking to partying college students appealing on social media? After weeks of brainstorming, this semester's SCC 400 class decided that humor was their best bet over trying scare tactics. These methods can be seen implemented on their Instagram page, @cu_smartsippin. 

A perfect example of their lighthearted tone is a comedic story post from their Mocktail Party: a boy talking to two girls at the event captioned “Rizz is possible without alcohol.”

There are a handful of fun activities the events team has created to get the campaign's message across. Morrow is most excited about the events in collaboration with the Orange Police Department (PD).

“We are doing an informational session with them on campus,” Morrow said. “They are going to bring in drunk goggles and give field sobriety tests. We are also doing a ‘Test Your Limits’ event at The District Lounge. The Orange PD is going to be there with a breathalyzer. If students participate, they get a raffle ticket and can bring that in to get $5 off Happy Dad (hard seltzer) drinks.”

Raffle tickets won at each event go towards the chance to win gift baskets full of various gift cards and non-alcoholic beverages from their sponsor, Curious Elixirs.

Don’t worry: if you don’t find yourself going to District Lounge often, there are plenty of tabling events in the Attallah Piazza you can attend to get a raffle ticket: Binge Drinking Trivia, Myth vs. Fact, DUI simulation tests and even some non-alcoholic beer pong.

The class has also created merchandise to spread the word. From tote bags and keychains to napkins and coasters for their event at The District Lounge, they’re pulling all the strings to keep students engaged.

“I think a big part is the incentives,” Morrow said. “Come get free food along with doing this, or come get free Happy Dad. We are trying to get students engaged by having things for free, which will make them want to go. If they attend, they also learn more about what we are about.”

One thing they will continue to reiterate is that they are not telling anyone to stop drinking completely. They know that would be impossible. Instead, they just want students to think about the potential repercussions before knocking back a drink.

“We’re encouraging adults to have healthier habits,” said junior SCC major Phoebe Labow. “That’s all we want. There’s no need to drink yourself into oblivion.”

Here is a look at the upcoming events for Rethink Your Drink:

April 2 - Field Sobriety Test Activity with Orange PD | 11:30 am - 3 pm at Piazza

April 3 - Binge Drinking Trivia Activity | 11:30 am - 3 pm at Piazza

April 4 - Myth vs. Fact Activity | 11:30 am - 3 pm at Piazza

             - Test Your Limits | 8-10 pm at District Lounge 

See all of their campaign information and recipes to some delicious mocktails on their Instagram and TikTok accounts.