On Saturday, May 6, 2023, shortly after 5 p.m., my husband and I drove down Hoxsey St. A large group of students was blocking the end of the street. It was a beautiful spring day, and a great time to be outside with music and liquid refreshments. If I were in college, I would have loved to attend a similar event. My college days are far behind me. I put my window down and was asking the students to please move out of the road so we could get through. Most happily complied, but at least one student punched my car, and another yelled, “You picked the wrong street to drive down.” Then a crushed beer can hit my windshield. 

Ironically, May 6 is National Nurses Day. The reason we were heading down the street was to get to the Health Center. I am finishing up my 24th year as a Williams Health Service nurse. Earlier in the day, when I was on-call, I had arranged to meet a student at the Health Center at 5:10 p.m., so they could pick up their refrigerated medication that had been delivered to the Health Center. 

When I began working at Health Services, it was open 24/7, so let’s just say I have had a fair amount of experience working with students who have consumed too much alcohol. As we very slowly inched through the group, it was obvious that many of the students were quite inebriated. There is no circumstance where it would be considered acceptable for anyone to make a ridiculous threat, or punch or throw things at a car being driven by a 70-year-old man and his almost 64-year-old wife. Anyone who knows me would say that I enjoy a quality cocktail and social events. Here is my advice to those who chose to imbibe: Quality over quantity — learn your limits. Have fun, but stay safe.

Alice Gelheiser is a nurse at the College’s Health Center.