NORTHRIDGE : A Shocking Display Gives Sober Message

It was a grisly scene, but in the eyes of organizers it served its purpose: The mangled wreck of a car, a white hearse and a casket displayed on the Sierra Quad lawn at Cal State Northridge Wednesday succeeded in drawing crowds of fascinated students.

Sandy Dockery, coordinator for the campus drug-and-alcohol program Consider Your Alternatives, said the display was timed to remind students of the dangers of drunk driving as they prepare for graduation festivities that follow the semester’s end May 27.

“We just want to raise awareness that during graduation the incidence of drinking and driving accidents go up,” Dockery said. The casket and hearse were “a new twist” to draw attention to the second annual Sober Graduation Awareness event, she added.

Some students praised the display as “a reality check,” in the words of Kyle Ragonesi, 19. But others questioned the use of the casket, and the accident-scene photos that accompanied the wreckage--including one of the body of the young man who died in the car.

“It’s harsh. . . . For someone who just lost somebody it could be offensive. And the picture--if it were someone I knew I wouldn’t like it,” said drama major William Stikkel, 23.