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St. Olaf gets SO MADD about drunk driving, forms first college MADD chapter in Minnesota

By Nancy J. Ashmore and Kate Schindler '06
November 20, 2002

As St. Olaf College students Anna Bonde, Sally Heitman, and Chris Hoppe drove through Illinois on their way to volunteer at an elementary school during Spring Break 2001, they were doing everything right. They switched drivers occasionally and made frequent stops to rest. By doing this, they were ensuring their own safety and the safety of others.

Unfortunately not everyone else on the road that night was being as responsible. The three St. Olaf students died in a head-on collision with a car being driven 90 mph in the wrong direction on the interstate. The other driver had a blood alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit.

Four St. Olaf students were killed by drunk drivers between 2000 and 2001: Anna, Sally, Chris and John Schockemoehl, another innocent victim. In the months following these tragedies, students formed St. Olaf's first chapter of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and launched a number of initiatives to increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving.

Their efforts have been recognized. In October of this year, St. Olaf's MADD chapter (SO MADD) became the first college chapter in Minnesota. Julia Drake, a junior from Edina, Minn., prepared the application for certification, which was then approved by the state office of MADD and forwarded to MADD National.

Renee Sauter, campus adviser to the group and coordinator of St. Olaf?s Wellness programs, has high expectations for the program. "SO MADD is off to an exciting start," she says. "They have great leadership with Julia Drake as president, and I have no doubts that they will accomplish a lot this year."

What the chapter has already accomplished is impressive. In September, the organization organized a petition drive -- netting 540 signatures displayed as a "Chain of Life" in Buntrock Commons, the college's student union.

Aided by a $350 grant from the Dean of Students Office, SO MADD members have also created and colored birthday cards for students turning 21. The office then sends the cards to those celebrating birthdays.

St. Olaf MADD has made itself visible in the recent past as well, setting up tables outside the student cafeteria and giving away red MADD ribbons.

SO MADD is sponsoring several events in coordination with Minnesota MADD?s chemical health week. Until Saturday, Nov. 23, near the St. Olaf Science Center SO MADD is displaying a car involved in a drunk-driving accident. At 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, Kathy Cooper, mother of the high school girl killed in the accident, will speak in Science Center 278. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Contact Nancy J. Ashmore at 507-786-3315 or ashmore@stolaf.edu.