StopTopps: Safe drinking initiavite to change the strip in Stillwater

37 rushing touchdowns. Sanders was selected for the Heisman, the most outstanding player in college football, and was a unanimous All-American.

After OSU, Sanders declared for the 1989 NFL Draft and the Detroit Lions selected him as the No. 3 overall pick. Sanders played for 10 seasons with the Lions.

Sanders was the 1989 Offensive Rookie of the Year, a 10x Pro Bowler, 6x All-Pro, the 1997 NFL MVP and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Sanders retired from the NFL in July 1999, with 15,269 rushing yards in his career, which is the most a player in a 10year span has had. Sanders is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time.

Sanders will most likely always be the face of Cowboy football. Now, everyone heading into Boone Pickens to watch the Cowboys year after year will be reminded of the greatness that was Barry Sanders.

A foil sticker holds the power to save someone’s life.

Audrey Fleschute ignored the naïve assumption that all college kids wait until they are 21 to drink alcohol. The speaker of the senate for the Student Gov ernment Association said as incredible as her position in the association is, there was still something missing in her personal life. Fleschute wanted to make a change.

On a trip to Lawrence, Kansas, last fall, Fleschute learned about how Kansas University promotes safety among parties as a dry campus. KU’s Student Government initiatives inspired Fleschute to start her own project: The StopTopps cup stickers.

The stickers can be placed on top of people’s drinks and a straw can be poked through it. The goal is to protect drinkers from being drugged while out partying. Fleschute, who is getting her degree in political science, got in contact with Outlaws, a bar in Stillwater and introduced her idea to the donor.

“I just wanted it to be an option,” Fleschute said. “I’m not looking at people who commit those crimes. I’m looking at the establishments that facilitate the space where these things happen. That’s why I went to the bars.”

In the U.S., 11% of college students experience rape or sexual assault through force, violence or incapacitation, and in terms of drug-facilitated sexual assault, alcohol is the No. 1 substance for assailants, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

“I feel like we highlight the negatives of partying a lot, but maybe we should say, ‘We know people party and that’s ok,’” Fleschute said. “We just want you to be safe so here are some things we can do to help you do that.”

Fleschute said the stickers will not make people drink less, but it can help avoid malicious intentions to follow through. The foil allows customers to know if someone tried to peel off the side or bend the foil, making it possible for the person drinking to stay alert and get a different drink. The stickers come with a QR code that takes the person to a website.

“It’s a website free of nonsense,” Fleschute said. “There is no branding. All it shows is how to use the stickers, what is its goal, how to tell if you’ve been drugged and what are the next steps.”

Kelsie Woods, a junior at OSU, said she feels unsafe most of the time she goes out in public, especially when there is drinking involved. Woods said she is cautious and tries to make sure nothing will happen to her.

“This idea gives a safer feel to the bar,” Woods said. “Most women don’t feel safe so it’s good to hear there are people putting in some effort to help.”

The owner of Outlaws, Willies and JR Murphys said he is supporting Fleschute’s initiative and this process to help protect all the customers.

After spreading 500 stickers around the strip, Fleschute went out to the bars to see her project come to life.

“I saw a lot of moms last weekend because of admitted students day,” Fleschute said. “We started talking about the stickers and everyone loved them.” Fleschute is running a one-woman show and her next step is to go from the foil stickers to the scrunchie version, a fabric cup cover that people can wear on their wrists while they are not drinking. SGA has funded Fleschute’s initial project but moving foward funding will be even trickier.

“But what’s great is I have not heard a single person tell me that they thought it was bad,” Fleschute said. “Which is good enough for me, there is nothing wrong with setting boundaries and going after what we want.”