Tuesday, October 26, 1999, 8:00 p.m.
Campus Center Ballroom
(Reception to follow)In his program, Mark Sterner relives the most terrible night of his life, helping us to better understand how a single bad decision can forever alter the course of an individual's life.
Mark Sterner was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) Fraternity at a college in Rhode Island when he and four fraternity brothers took off for Spring Break. They took along their video camera to capture the fun-filled days and nights in Florida.
On the final night of the break, with an intoxicated Mark at the wheel, the five men were in a fatal accident. Three of Mark's fraternity brothers died. The video camera was rolling until 15 minutes before the accident.
In addition to suffering serious injuries, Mark was sentenced to 23 months in a Florida prison for three felony counts. While serving his time, Mark spoke to more than 100,000 students in the state of Florida. Upon his release, he began speaking nationwide about the dangers of impaired driving and poor decision- making.
Mark wears his prison uniform during the program and shows the video from the night of the crash. The response is emotional and hard-hitting.
What is most striking about the program is how completely normal Mark was (and is). This sort of thing could happen to anyone who makes careless choices, particularly regarding impaired driving. With his program, Mark is helping others avoid the same mistakes. With his program, Mark is honoring his lost friends and fraternity brothers.
While the issue of impaired driving is hardly a new one, it's one that is resurfacing as a basic health issue on our campuses. We will all walk away from the program with a new sense of reality.
Mark donates a portion of his honorariums to foundations established to honor his friends who lost their lives.
Alcohol Responsibility Week
University at Albany