Safety remains a top priority
As spring begins, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) held the annual Tropical Temptations, an event at which groups on campus as well as the community come together to promote safety. Students were encouraged to come out and look at what each booth had to offer and gain more knowledge.
“It is very good to have an event like this so people know and understand to use caution for whenever they are out partying and know their limit beforehand,” senior Taylor Peña said.
Tropical Temptations is an annual event kicked off by the Student Health and Wellness.
“It is very important because it establishes a relationship with the students and the departments that we have as well as what organizations we offer and resources we offer around Kingsville,” Academic Coach Cameron Zubriate said.
The focal point of this event was to educate students and showcase what there was to offer on campus as well as in town for support and safety.
“This event teaches younger students such as freshman how to be safe and because they are freshman, they do not have that many life experiences, so this helps them understand the means to be safe,” Zubriate said.
Aside from campus facilities and resources, South Texas Family Planning also attended to assist in promoting safety for students.
“Here we are promoting family planning as well as just helping students be aware of our location and the services we provide and that we serve anyone regardless of insurance,” Clinic Specialist Sandra Carrillo said. “I feel students should be well informed about protecting themselves and making smart decisions.”
Students were also encouraged to make good choices when it comes to drinking. Driving while under the influence is not safe and can lead to injuries and possible death.
The University Police Department (UPD) provided special modified goggles to help students understand how impaired your vision can become after drinking.
“When you are under the influence you do not feel how impaired you are because it is a gradual rise so using the goggles, it helps students understand how impacted your vision can be,” UPD Lieutenant Gabriel Gonzalez said.
The demonstration provided by UPD was to have the student wear the goggles of their choice and take nine steps forward and nine steps back to the table. This mimicked what a sobriety test would be like in a real-life situation.