Byron Kennerly and Jillian Ferry had the crowd laughing on the floor last Tuesday at the Bayou Pointe Student Event Center from their jokes. But these jokes weren’t just for comedic relief. They shared important facts about alcohol on college campuses. ULM Campus Activities Board hosted “A Shot of Reality.” This show was an interactive alcohol awareness comedy show. Kennerly and Ferry were the presenters of the event. They are famous comedians who perform educational shows all around the United States in a fun and interactive manner.
“ We have been doing such shows all around the U.S for almost 10 years now. We started getting called from colleges to perform there as well,” Kennerly said. “We think that presenting an educational theme as a comedy is what the audience is going to remember even after they leave the hall.”
Most of the big organizations were a part of this event like fraternities, sororities, ULM SGA and others.
“The presenters did a great job of keeping everyone engaged with their unique style and student participation. It was entertaining but also very informative. We also had a great crowd out there representing multiple organizations.” said Gaulee, the CAB’s president.
Kennerly and Ferry said that alcohol awareness is important now because there have been many cases of alcohol poisoning on campuses. The show was much more impactful because of this fun and comedic way.
“ It was a fresh way of doing things. It was fun, informative, and engaging rather than boring monotonous lectures,” said Phuyal, a CAB member and sophomore business major.
And while this show drew in its viewers with comedy, it gave important facts on alcohol safety. According to alcohol.org, a national survey found that two out of three respondents binge drank on the occasions they consumed alcohol.
“ I thought the show was very educational, but at the same time, I learned the dangers of alcohol in a fun type of environment,” said Bryce Lovelady, a sophomore communications major and CAB member.
Kennerly and Ferry made students participate in it which made it more interactive. They gave examples and shared some real-life incidents that has happened due to alcohol overdose. If it was a regular slide show presentation, it wouldn’t have been as much fun and informative, according to Bidhan Phuyal.
“They gave us relatable examples and trends picked up to minimize distractions. Powerful communication skills and a rather different workshop than what has been followed in the system,” Phuyal said. “It led to a proactive response from the audience.”