Sometimes silence can speak louder than words, as was proven by many Iona students who participated in this year’s annual Black Tuesday event on Oct. 18. This year marked the third anniversary of the program on campus.

In conjunction with National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (NCAAW), which took place Oct. 16-22 this year, Black Tuesday aims to foster awareness regarding the risks associated with alcohol consumption. The event also acts as a living memorial for individuals who have been victims of an alcohol related death.

NCAAW is a nationwide campaign taking place on more than 900 college campuses to promote alcohol awareness and to educate students on the personal choice of responsible alcohol use. Activities celebrating this week-long campaign vary from campus to campus but usually include presentations and social events that encourage students to make responsible life choices.

To help fulfill the mission of the NCAAW campaign here at Iona, the Alcohol and Other Drug Education Committee began the Black Tuesday event. This is an all-day event spanning from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in which participants represent someone who has lost his or her life due to an alcohol related cause. Students carry with them a printed story of the individual they choose to represent and pass this out to anyone who approaches them.

Volunteers are required to dress completely in black and not to speak throughout the day, representing the lives lost and voices silenced as a result of alcohol related fatalities. The only exceptions to this agreement of silence are class participation and informing others as to what the number on the shirt stands for. Shirts provided by the committee read “7831 and them.”

Students did notice the event’s presence on campus, but the question is, how much? One of this year’s volunteers, sophomore Brianna Hines, participated in Black Tuesday with her sorority. Though she believed that the event was powerful, she also expressed a desire for more knowledge and seriousness about Black Tuesday across campus.

“I wish that more people were in the LaPenta parking lot and read the signs when we were all sitting there in silence,” said Hines. “I also was slightly bothered and taken back when I told people what the number stood for on my shirt and some replied ‘That’s it?'”

Other students, however, have realized the impact of Black Tuesday over the event’s three year stint on campus.

Junior Kara Nowakowski said, “I’ve noticed that the number on the shirts has decreased since I was a freshman. I think that’s pretty NCAAW.”

As the number of alcohol related deaths keeps climbing, there is no doubt that the fight to create heightened alcohol awareness on the college campus is a continuing battle.