IUSA sponsors Make the Call Day

Make the call.

That’s the message members of the IU Student Association are working to promote Tuesday, Oct. 1. A series of events are set to take place to spread awareness of the Hoosier PACT and the Lifeline Law.

Culture of Care members will be stationed at different locations across campus to provide students with information regarding campus and state efforts to protect students who call for medical assistance for a friend, IUSA Chief of Staff Katy Flanigan said.

The events will culminate with a visit from Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Ind., who authored the Lifeline bill before it was passed in 2012, as well as Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller. Dawn and Norm Finbloom, who lost their son Brett to alcohol-related issues, will also be speaking at the event.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. A question and answer session and informal reception will be held from 8:30 to 10 p.m. following comments from the featured speakers.

Flanigan said the event is a collaborative effort involving several groups on campus to spread awareness of benefits of calling for help.

“We had a lot of people reaching out to us, wanting to be involved,” she said. “We really just wanted to bring everyone’s effort under one roof.”

The IU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services will also be working with IUSA to complete drink-pouring demonstrations, informing students of the size of a standard drink to promote understanding of alcohol intake, Flanigan said.

The Office of Alternative Screening and Intervention Services will also be in attendance to provide additional information regarding alcohol awareness on campus.

IUSA has also formed a partnership with the Union Board Body and Mind committee for the event. Jackie Gauthier, director of Body and Mind, said in an email that she hopes the event clears up any confusion students may have about the law.

“I think there is some confusion of campus of what exactly the Lifeline Law covers and the steps one needs to take to qualify for legal protection,” she said. “We hope that this event clears up some of that confusion and that students can be confident that they know their rights as well as how to protect themselves.”

Gauthier added that prior to the event, students can find posters in several dining halls across campus with details regarding the law and the opportunity to sign a pledge to “make the call.”

Flanigan said though the capacity for the event is 300, she hopes the message will reach the entire student population.

“Three hundred is a lot of people, but it’s not anywhere close to who we want to reach with this,” she said. “I hope that students will make the call, not only when they’re in dangerous situations, but to help spread the word to all of their friends on campus.”

Follow reporter Holly Hays on Twitter @hv_hays.