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Meet Clueless Colfax!

What’s up, Wildcats! I’m Clueless Colfax, and I’m a sophomore American Studies major from Flagstaff, Arizona. I’ve had an amazing first two years at Northwestern, and I feel really blessed to have found such amazing friends and such a supportive campus community.

But the best part? Every day, I’m still discovering new, fun things about Northwestern! For example, last week my friend and I were walking past Deering Library, and she pointed out that it actually looks kind of like the school “Hogwarts” from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. And you know what, I totally see the resemblance! Who knew? This place sure is filled with surprises!

Around this time last year, though, I got a pretty big surprise that really left me, if you’ll pardon my slang, “shook.” It was the morning of Dillo Day, and I was getting ready to sample some of Evanston’s finest food trucks and enjoy a nice afternoon of music from world-famous artists like Gramatik and Management. But when I showed up at my friend’s apartment, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Right against the wall in his living room, there was an entire table of beverages– and almost none of them were soda! Instead, there was a whole lot of what my mom always used to call “the devil’s juice.” That’s right — alcohol!

I walked up to my upperclassman friend and asked if he had made sure that everyone who was taking a drink had shown him their state-issued IDs. He just laughed and said “classic Colfax!” He then handed me a beer can with a blue ribbon on it, and told me to have a fun Dillo. I guess I must have just been curious about what it tasted like, so I started to take a few sips.

I’m not going to lie, it tasted pretty disgusting. But what was even worse was when I recognized a classmate of mine slumped over on the couch with her eyes closed. She wasn’t responding when I asked if she was okay, and I thought she needed medical help. But since we all had been drinking alcohol, I was worried we might get in trouble if anyone found out. What could I do?

Luckily for all of us, Smart Dillo was at the party too. They told me that under Northwestern’s Amnesty policy, students are encouraged to call for help, stay until help arrives, and cooperate with emergency personnel. If the Office of Student Conduct finds that a student has completed these steps, they will not be held responsible for violations of the University’s drug and alcohol policy (excluding driving under the influence). I had no idea about this policy, and neither did any of my friends. I guess on that day, we were all clueless.

Learn from my experience: this Dillo, if you see a friend who’s had dangerous amounts of alcohol, remember to call, stay, and cooperate. You won’t regret it, and you seriously could save a life.