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| 04-13-2004 | Previous edition: 04-12-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Speaker shares memories of Spring Break tragedyBy Katie WallStaff Writer Monday night Mark Sterner spoke to thousands of Purdue students in an emotional presentation about how one choice can drastically change the course of their lives. While on a Spring Break trip to Florida, Sterner and four of his fraternity brothers spent their final night of vacation "bar hopping," with no designated driver. "Nobody wanted to miss out on any fun on the last night of Spring Break," Sterner said. "That was the last night my friends ever ended up having." The five friends had decided that whoever was the "least drunk" would drive home from the last bar stop that night. The fatal car accident occurred less than two miles from where they were staying. The crash killed three of the men and left Sterner and the other survivor in critical condition. Sterner received three years in a maximum-security prison due to three felony manslaughter accounts; one for each friend that died. "I was only 21 years old," Sterner said. "You aren’t supposed to die when you are having fun." While dressed in his orange prison uniform, Sterner explained that his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit in Florida and nobody in the car was wearing a seatbelt. "There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about my friends," Sterner said. "My memories, my thoughts, my nightmares; they don’t go away." He emphasized the importance of making good choices when consuming alcohol and his speech served as a poignant reminder to all students of the dangers of driving while abusing alcohol. Grand Prix Convocations sponsored the event, hoping the speech will serve as a precautionary notice to students about how dangerous an abundance of alcohol consumption can be before the festive weekend of Grand Prix begins. "With Grand Prix Convocations, you always try to get someone who will leave an impact on the students," said Stacie Warner, sophomore in the School of Agriculture and president of the InterFraternity Council. "A presentation that will help students to make good decisions." Sterner explained to the audience that he did not come to Purdue to lecture students about not using alcohol. But that he came to tell students what happened to him and his friends and how it could easily happen to anyone else. Printer-friendly version |
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