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Students walk the walk for alcohol awareness
By Greg Cima
gcima@pantagraph.com
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NORMAL -- Young men and women wobbled, swung their arms wildly and stumbled sideways as they tried to walk heel-to-toe along a division in the pavement.

Wearing a pair of goggles provided by police, they saw a dividing line skewed far to the left and tilted landscape.

“My stomach and eyes were disagreeing,” said Illinois State University senior Shaun McQueen. He said he felt like he was leaning even though he was standing straight up.

McQueen was one of the students who took turns Wednesday trying to walk in a straight line while wearing goggles designed to simulate the disorientation felt when someone is legally drunk.

The goggles, a low-speed crash simulator, a rollover accident simulator, information on sexual assault and information from officers were part of an alcohol awareness event sponsored by police and a local fraternity Wednesday on ISU’s Quad.

McLean County State’s Attorney Bill Yoder said after he wobbled along the line that his balance was gone when he wore the goggles, which simulate conditions at twice the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08. He said it is scary to think that there are people on the road every night with blood-alcohol contents at least equal to that portrayed by the goggles.

Yoder said people pulled over by police often think they are doing well in field sobriety tests, and he pointed to a young man wavering away from the line as an illustration of how they’re really doing. He said the offense is serious and personal to him, and it happens all the time.

“It’s too serious not to be out here,” Yoder said.

Jamieson Duff, head of philanthropy for Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, said his organization was involved in the awareness event because members noticed a high amount of drunken driving locally and wanted to help reduce it.

McLean County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Landers said the behavior of those walking the line was similar to the swaying he has seen during DUI arrests over the last 18 years. But Lt. Sharon Sweeney, of the Illinois State University Police, noted the jovial tone on the Quad Wednesday lacked the complaining and yelling often heard in actual field sobriety tests.

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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

oh, good grief! wrote on Apr 19, 2007 2:26 PM:

" Walk the Walk.....meant they 'walked' on the side'walk' get a grip. "

Shaka wrote on Apr 19, 2007 7:03 AM:

" The correct phrase is to "walk the talk." In other words, perform in the same manner as one speaks. "
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