The Something of Value conference put on by Baker University’s College Panhellenic Council was more than just a boring Saturday, but a surprising, inspirational seminar that led me to reflect on my own moral standards and the appearance of risky behavior on Baker’s campus.

I walked into the room thinking, ‘this will be long, boring and a waste of a perfectly good Saturday.’

I did not want to be up that early, nor did I want to actively participate in a conference that took up my whole day.

To my surprise, the Something of Value conference was more than what I expected, and I actually gained something of value that day.

The day started with a mock trial that put into perspective the consequences of risky behavior.

The trial made up an occurrence of a sorority member who died from alcohol poisoning and who would be responsible within a case such as that.

I sat there, not paying attention at first, but slowly being drawn in on the ‘what if’ aspect of the trial.

What if this really happened at Baker University.

I felt weird being there, listening to the trial and seeing how it made the girls who were to be held accountable uncomfortable, because simply, a case like this has never happened at Baker.

The reality of it is, it could, and that is what caught my attention.

To finish out the day, we broke up into smaller groups where we talked more in-depth about risky behaviors at Baker University.

My group decided that the worst risky behavior is uneducated, underage drinking.

By all means, my group understood the reality of the situation that underage drinking happens almost everywhere, but to think about it in the perspective of someone dying was eye-opening, at least for me.

I just kept thinking, ‘this could happen to me.’

This conference had more of an impact than I thought it would.

It made me think consciously about taking care of my sorority sisters if they are doing risky behaviors and also to protect myself.

I need to know my limits with risky behaviors and how much of a risk it is to me emotionally and physically.

I found some value in what it means to be safe and the ‘what if’ aspect of participating in risky behaviors.