MU students can choose to wear bracelets as a sign
of their commitment to drink sensibly
Responsibility is more than the name of an MU residence hall. The campus Wellness Center is distributing green “Responsibility” bracelets to students willing to commit to being responsible for themselves and their friends when drinking alcohol.
These symbolic bracelets are part of a process to change a person’s life, said Kim Dude, director of the Wellness Center.
Employees at the Wellness Center came up with this idea after hearing about alcohol-related deaths that occurred last semester at other colleges. They were not only bothered that the students consumed such a high amount of alcohol that they died, but also that their friends watched them do it, said Dude.
Since January, they have given out about 100 bracelets to MU students. Students can receive bracelets, free of charge, at the Wellness Center’s presentations on responsibility, which are held in classrooms, residence halls and fraternities on the MU campus. Students can also request a bracelet from the center.
Upon receiving a bracelet the student is asked to sign and carry around a card stating they will take responsibility. The card lists:
n I will not drink and drive.
n I will not ride in the car when the driver has been drinking.
n I will always wear my seat belt.
n I will watch out for my friends and take care of myself.
n I will keep my blood alcohol content at 0.055 or below.
The color green was chosen because it represents life and was not a popular color used for similar wristbands, Dude said.
Responsibility is one of the four MU values, along with respect, discovery and excellence. Although Dude said this was not the reason they chose to inscribe responsibility on the bracelets, it was a nice addition.
“Part of being an adult is taking responsibility for yourself, but part of being a human is taking responsibility for friends as well,” Dude said. “That is what we hope will happen.”