University students crowded Newcomb Plaza yesterday to listen to a cappella groups and eat free food donated by local restaurants for the first annual HooZone.
HooZone, a new campaign launched by the Office of Health Promotion, was created by a group of University students who promote alcohol awareness, said Jennifer Bauerle, social norms coordinator for the Office of Health Promotion.
HooZone was designed to educate University students about blood alcohol concentration and alcohol while providing a fun social atmosphere, she said.
Students received wallet-sized cards that contain information about BAC.
According to Bauerle, the BAC cards will help students be smart and safe when drinking. The "blue zone," "orange zone" and "red zone" each identify an increasing level of BAC in the body depending on the weight of the student and how much alcohol the student consumed, she said.
"If people are going to choose to drink, stay in the blue zone because it is the low-risk zone," Bauerle said.
There are two different cards -- one for males and one for females -- because men and women can consume different amounts of alcohol before becoming intoxicated, Bauerle said.
"U.Va. students are good at taking care of each other," she added. "They ask their friends to slow down when they are drinking too fast and they stop friends from going with strangers. We want to continue to foster that."
The majority of University students do not have significant problems with alcohol because most students consume only zero to four beverages when drinking, CASE Director Susan Bruce said.
Former ADAPT Chair Kathy Radd expressed optimism about the success of the event.
"People will pay a lot more attention to BAC when they go out, which is good because many have not had a good opportunity to learn about it," Radd said.
While listening to O'Tones and the Academical Village People, students enjoyed food from Ben & Jerry's, Milan and the Mellow Mushroom, among others.
Students attending HooZone said they were excited about the event.
"It's not cool that the food went early, but it's good to educate against alcoholism," third-year Engineering student Josh Waldman said.
Other students, however, were disappointed.
"Although the event itself was a good idea and there were tables set up, there wasn't much information about alcohol or BAC," first-year College student Maha Kaskas said.
Over the next few weeks, students will be able to find the cards at libraries, gyms and dining halls across Grounds, Bauerle said.
To further promote the use of the BAC cards, student employees from OHP will stop students on Grounds to check if they have the card, Bauerle said. If they do, the students will receive $5 on the spot as a reward and an incentive to keep carrying the card.
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