Night Owls Introduce Drink Covers, NARCAN, And More

In last week's issue, the Quest ran an article titled “What is the Role of the CSO on Campus? The Pool Hall Party Incident Keeps Us Questioning”. It discussed the function of Community Safety Officers (CSOs) in the Reed Community following an incident in the Pool Hall where two students were roofied, but also brought other student organizations such as Student Senate and the Night Owls into the conversation about preventing sexual assault on campus. In response to this article, Night Owl Captain Jason Finn, ‘23 and Night Owl Ashley Oliver, ‘24 reached out to the Quest to share their reaction to the situation and the new preventative measures the Night Owls are taking. 

The first and most important thing the two mentioned is that the Night Owls have ordered a box of drink covers that will reside in the Pool Hall from this point onwards and will be available to anyone at all times. Although Night Owls will not be on duty on Sundays due to scheduling conflicts, Finn and Oliver expressed the intention to reintroduce Night Owl coverage for Thursday nights, given that this is when Pool Hall tournaments take place. This is due to the Night Owls recruiting seven new members who are all undergoing training and will be working from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., the usual times Night Owls are active. Additionally, Night Owls now carry NARCAN, the prescription medicine that prevents a narcotic overdose, to be used in emergencies.

Despite these positive changes, our Night Owls are still sadly stretched thin due to budget cuts. SHARE Lounge, a communal space that usually exists in the Info Shoppe across from the Bookstore, was dismantled over the summer and is not currently active. Finn and Oliver are currently working on getting the SHARE Lounges back up and running regularly in a communal space in close proximity to the GCC. SHARE Lounge operates during Night Owl hours to provide a substance-free and quiet space for students to rest and receive SHARE and Night Owl support. The Night Owls are currently working on expanding SHARE Lounge hours to include Thursday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. to provide further access to the vital resources they have to offer.