Spring Break
Hammered offers new ways to have fun during college
Krystal Caldwell
Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: Features
The life of a college student often revolves around having a good time rather than studying academics. This usually means going to the hottest party and usually drinking copious amounts of alcohol until they are "wasted" and stumbling home.
While partying is certainly a college student's prerogative, Ken Procaccianti's mission is to educate college students on ways to have a good time without being intoxicated. In 2002, while a sophomore at Boston's Northeastern University, Procaccianti found himself sidelined with a sport injury and at a loss of entertainment that did not involve drinking. "Students like me had grown tired of relying on plastic cups and keg stands to meet people and make friends," he said. Out of his frustration Hammered was born.
"When I created Hammered, I did not know what to expect," writes Procaccianti, "I was introducing something completely new to my college campus: a new idea, a new way to have fun, and a new way to experience college." In order to implement the change on his campus, Procaccianti came up with a few ways to entertain the masses with the aid of alcohol. Among the list are "Do Stuff Thursdays," "Wimpy Body Contest" and "Stupid Prom."
Began as an alternative to what is known as "Thirsty Thursday" among college students, which usually involves a pub crawl, "Do Stuff Thursdays" challenges members to do something fun instead of drinking, such as going to a comedy club, breaking out the old board games like Clue or Monopoly, playing mini-golf, going to a museum or taking in a movie with some friends. The "Wimpy Body Contest" is just that, a faux beauty contest in which the wimpiest body is crowned the winner. This event was also what made Hammered a household name among students at Northeastern University. The "Stupid Prom" gives students a chance to act out and be silly while in costume and avoiding alcohol.
"Hammered is not anti-anything and we're not anti-drinking. We did not set out to tell anyone that drinking is wrong or preach about the ill-effects of drug use," states Procaccianti, "Rather, we are demonstrating that you can live one night of your weekend, your whole life or anywhere in between without drugs and alcohol. Anyone and everyone can participate."
Hammered currently has only one chapter, but welcomes the idea of expanding. They even offer a step-by-step guide on how to start a chapter at any school from filling out paperwork to providing flyers for events. For more information on how to start your own chapter or more information on the organization itself, check out www.hammered.org.
While partying is certainly a college student's prerogative, Ken Procaccianti's mission is to educate college students on ways to have a good time without being intoxicated. In 2002, while a sophomore at Boston's Northeastern University, Procaccianti found himself sidelined with a sport injury and at a loss of entertainment that did not involve drinking. "Students like me had grown tired of relying on plastic cups and keg stands to meet people and make friends," he said. Out of his frustration Hammered was born.
"When I created Hammered, I did not know what to expect," writes Procaccianti, "I was introducing something completely new to my college campus: a new idea, a new way to have fun, and a new way to experience college." In order to implement the change on his campus, Procaccianti came up with a few ways to entertain the masses with the aid of alcohol. Among the list are "Do Stuff Thursdays," "Wimpy Body Contest" and "Stupid Prom."
Began as an alternative to what is known as "Thirsty Thursday" among college students, which usually involves a pub crawl, "Do Stuff Thursdays" challenges members to do something fun instead of drinking, such as going to a comedy club, breaking out the old board games like Clue or Monopoly, playing mini-golf, going to a museum or taking in a movie with some friends. The "Wimpy Body Contest" is just that, a faux beauty contest in which the wimpiest body is crowned the winner. This event was also what made Hammered a household name among students at Northeastern University. The "Stupid Prom" gives students a chance to act out and be silly while in costume and avoiding alcohol.
"Hammered is not anti-anything and we're not anti-drinking. We did not set out to tell anyone that drinking is wrong or preach about the ill-effects of drug use," states Procaccianti, "Rather, we are demonstrating that you can live one night of your weekend, your whole life or anywhere in between without drugs and alcohol. Anyone and everyone can participate."
Hammered currently has only one chapter, but welcomes the idea of expanding. They even offer a step-by-step guide on how to start a chapter at any school from filling out paperwork to providing flyers for events. For more information on how to start your own chapter or more information on the organization itself, check out www.hammered.org.
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