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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Donaldson
news@gordcolorado.com
February 24, 2005
G.O.R.D. and Kappa Alpha Theta Sponsor Alcohol Awareness Program at CU-Boulder
Two on-campus organizations at CU – G.O.R.D., the student alumni of the former Chi Psi Fraternity, and Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority -- have joined forces to focus awareness on the dangers of student alcohol use. Their first on-campus “Alcohol Awareness Program” will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, at the university’s Coors Event Center.
The program’s featured speaker will be Josh Goldman, who will present the 2003 Emmy award-winning video, “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” which is a no-nonsense, straight-talk exploration of the dangerous drinking environment that is part of campus life today. This educational presentation focuses on the life-threatening effects of alcohol poisoning and stresses how to take personal responsibility in high-risk, under-age drinking situations. A discussion and Q & A session will follow the video presentation.
“Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” was produced as a result of the death of Scott Krueger, who died as a result of alcohol poisoning following a Phi Gamma Delta pledge party at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1997.
The University of Colorado suffered a similar tragedy in September of 2004, when Chi Psi pledge, Lynn Gordon (Gordie) Bailey, Jr., died after drinking at a fraternity event. To honor the memory of “Gordie” by helping to ensure this never happens again, the student alumni of Chi Psi Fraternity created an organization, called Guidelines and Objectives of Responsible Drinking (G.O.R.D.), to promote alcohol awareness on campus. The March 1st program is one of the activities G.O.R.D. is sponsoring. “We believe ‘Tell Me Something I Don’t Know’ will be a high impact way of educating fellow students on an issue that’s become important to all of us since Gordie’s death last fall,” said Patrick Donaldson, G.O.R.D. Student Director.
Members of G.O.R.D. are asked to commit to the threefold objectives of the organization: (1) to educate students and people of all ages about the risks of alcohol use; (2) to encourage people to be mindful of their surroundings and recognize when a dangerous situation is evolving; and (3) to help promote alcohol awareness whenever possible.
Since Parents Weekend last October when G.O.R.D. members and their families met with former Chancellor Richard Byyny, Vice Chancellor Ron Stump, and Dean of Students Elease Robbins, the organization has embarked on various initiatives and fund-raising activities to support its mission.
G.O.R.D. members are visiting fraternity and sorority houses and selling carabineer key chains, imprinted with the G.O.R.D. logo. Although the minimum donation is $2, many students and families are donating much more. Funds collected from the key chain will be used to sponsor future G.O.R.D. initiatives. The proceeds will be donated to the “The Gordie Foundation,” a charity established by Gordon Bailey’s family.
Based on the success of key-chain sales to date, G.O.R.D. hopes to expand the program to other Chi Psi chapters, high schools, and campuses across the country. The Alpha Beta Chapter of Chi Psi at the University of South Carolina has already sold numerous key chains. It is the hope of the G.O.R.D. founders that their student-to-student personal approach to alcohol awareness will prove to be an effective method of communication and will help students better handle peer pressure.
To help support the key-chain program, donation checks, which are not tax exempt, can be made out to “G.O.R.D.” Gifts can also be made directly to “The Gordie Foundation.” All donation checks should be mailed to: G.O.R.D., c/o Eric Scanniello, 1080 14th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302.
For more information on G.O.R.D., visit www.gordcolorado.com or contact Patrick Donaldson at news@gordcolorado.com. For more information on The Gordie Foundation, visit
www.thegordiefoundation.org.
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