As October comes to a close, The Barista Club closes out our third annual Substance Awareness Week. The Barista is a collection of students who promote alternative activities on campus for those who do not want to partake in the party culture or would like to practice safe drinking habits. In the midst of COVID-19, this conversation is more important than ever. The CDC reported that “during late June, 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health and substance abuse”. It is important that this conversation is had due to the rise of substance abuse issues that have come along with the pandemic and quarantine.

From Oct. 25^th to Halloween, the Barista held daily events on campus to get students out of their dorms and into the spooky spirit. From Tarot Card readings and murder mysteries, we hoped to get students involved and talking about the importance of substance awareness. Robert Bednarczk ’21, president of The Barista, stated:

“[Substance Awareness Week] provides that space to teach students about alternatives to the party cultures on campus, especially around Halloween, and it provides unique and fun events that you normally wouldn’t see on campus, like Tarot Card readings. It’s clear that over the last three year that we’ve done this event, interest in the club itself, our message, and the events we hold are growing amongst the student population.”

With restrictions from the Laurentian Pact and COVID-19, being able to organize around restrictions to ensure the safety of everyone has been a large learning experience in being flexible problem solvers.

One of our biggest goals with any sort of event is to get the first-year class involved. Coming into college in the midst of a worldwide pandemic has to be incredibly scary: how will making friends work? What can we do for fun? How do I stay safe? Rebecca Lehman ’22, vice president of The Barista, notes that importance of Substance Awareness Week in getting students of all class years involved, especially the first-years. She states that “it’s important to increase awareness during the first semester as a reiteration of [the first year’s] orientation training – we try to have a Tough Talk every year to get into the nitty gritty of [the conversation].” This was Lehman’s first full year on the club’s executive board and first-time planning for the week of events She found this week gave her opportunities to do things she’s always wanted to do while also sharing them with the greater SLU community, such as making fall themed suncatchers.

Overall, Substance Awareness Week was a great success, despite COVID restrictions. The Barista would like to thank everyone who came out for the events and helped make this semester another great week full of memories. As a senior of the club, it’s bittersweet to think that this week has come and gone – I hope that this is a tradition that continues to thrive long after we’ve walked that graduation stage. The Barista is such a unique element of St. Lawrence, and I can’t imagine the last four years without it. Be safe and have fun, SLU!