Blegen hosts Sober Nights

Brian Farkas Assistant News Editor

On Friday, Oct. 27, Blegen House will hold the first of its Sober Events series. This inaugural event will be co-hosted by Vassar Wholistic, which will be preparing a healthy dinner for participants.

Pam Cuce ’08, an intern at Blegen, proposed the introduction of sober activities earlier this year. “I wanted to diversify the kinds of weekend activities available on campus,” Cuce explained. “These events are available for students who are interested in engaging events without substance abuse.”

Sober Events will take place every week on Friday or Saturday, and will be co-hosted by different organizations. “We really encourage any groups to come join us,” said Cuce. “We’ll give them a venue as long as they keep their activities substance-free.”

Following the meal will be a showing of Transamerica, staring Academy Award nominated actress Felicity Huffman. Blegen House, the Center for the Study of Social Change, often encourages students to consider gender roles in society. “I hope that this film will help to give us a transgender perspective,” said Cuce.

Vassar Wholistic, the first co-hosting organization, had previously contacted Blegen about having cooking lessons for students. Wholistic advocates the health of the mind, body and soul through healthful foods. “There are foods that are not only good for your body, but are also psychologically beneficial,” said Cuce. Wholistic is a new VSA certified organization that seeks to promote health within the hectic nature of college life. According to Wholistic President Robert McKay ’09, the group “facilitates yoga, meditation, and alternative medicine events. We always like to remind people that food is an obvious, daily way to connect with ourselves, our friends, and the earth that sustains us.”

Santha Cooke, a health and nutrition counselor, will be on-hand at the Sober Event to “share her expertise and build good health,” according to the club’s promotional material. The meal is set to include Middle Eastern-style barley lentil soup, roasted root vegetable salad, and maple apple vinaigrette, as well as other seasonal cuisine.

Sober Events are open to all members of the community, including faculty and staff, and will take place at 6 p.m. at Blegen House. Interested organizations can e-mail Cuce at pacuce@vassar.edu to reserve a date and time for future activities.