Tasha Jones couldn\'d5t quite keep her balance as she walkedslowly, but not so steadily, down the white line taped to the grassof the Alumni Mall.
Although it was a considerable effort, she, along with manyother "drunken" participants, failed to pass the fatal visiongoggles sobriety test.
"I fell down." Jones said.
Jones was only one of many.
"No one has passed yet today," Daniel Butts, freshman chemistrymajor, said of the fatal goggles obstacle course in which studentsattempt to pass sobriety tests while wearing goggles that simulatealcohol intoxication.
The fatal goggles obstacle course was one of several events thatattracted University of Memphis students to Wednesday\'d5s HealthFair.
The fair's purpose was to raise awareness of on-campus resourcesavailable to help students maintain their physical, psychologicaland spiritual wellness, according to U of M health officials.
One of the most popular events at the fair seemed to be thefatal vision goggles obstacle course, according to U of Mstudents.
Freshman chemistry major Anthony Lee, who volunteered at thefatal vision goggles obstacle course, said he thought the course"might help people realize what really goes on when they aredrunk."
Tasha Jones, freshman pharmacy major, attempted to complete theobstacle course and, like many other participants, found it to bemore difficult than expected.
Attendance at the Health Fair has increased every year since itbegan three years ago, according to Jacqueline De Fouw, healtheducator for the Hudson Health Center.
"The first year of the fair we had about 750 people attend. Andabout 1,000 people attended last year," De Fouw said. "We estimatedthis year\'d5s attendance to be somewhere between 1,500 and3,000."
The fair has expanded over the years to accommodate theincreasing number of people and exhibitors interested in the event,according to De Fouw.
"This year's fair was a definite success," she said. "Everybody,even the exhibitors, was very surprised at the turn-out."
The Minority Health Association, Psychological Counseling,Career Counseling and Student Disability Services were among themany exhibitors that participated in the fair.
The fair's informational booths provided participants withresources for different health problems and conditions. In severalbooths, doctors were present to answer questions.
Jonathan Hardin, a second-year student at the University ofTennessee College of Pharmacy, worked the Asthma Education boothalong with several other members of the Academy of StudentPharmacists. He estimated that 75 people had visited the booththroughout the day.
Hardin said he hoped students would take what they learn at thefair and pass the information on to others.
"We hope the fair will have a positive impact on the students'lives and the lives of their families," he said. "We want to makepeople more aware.
