At age 18, Erica Buschick had the world in the palm of her hand. A family that adored her and more acceptance from her peers than anyone could ever hope for. The Warren Township High School grad would help wheelchair-bound students get from class to class. She was a distinguished young woman working towards a degree in special education from Miami University.

But no friend knows better than Erica’s best friend, Katie Paiser, how life can change in an instant.

In 2016, Katie Paiser came to Indiana University to follow her dreams during this next chapter of her life. She just became a member of Delta Zeta, a sorority on campus that puts on an event called ‘Mocktail’.

“The whole point behind the entire event is to spread alcohol awareness and safety throughout college campuses. And just to like spread the word — not just  in the Greek community, but hopefully to other parts of the campus as well,” says DZ member, Marina Vasquez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFnhtToZW7M

That hope enables IU students to come to the event and enjoy fake cocktails, food, games, pledge to not drink and drive, and learn about the risks of consuming alcohol.

Just weeks before the event, a 911 call from one of Miami University’s residential halls would change everything.

Erica Buschick was days away from starting her second semester at Miami University when,  on Jan.20, Erica died in her dorm room due to alcohol consumption.

A Miami University Police Department report indicates Buschick, spent the previous evening drinking with friends, had fallen multiple times and had to be helped back to her room.

“She was pretty popular in high school like she was probably one of the most popular girls…she was known to be a partier though,” Paiser says.

Erica and her roommate began drinking at about 10 p.m. on Jan.19, consuming approximately two bottles of champagne between them, the report said. They continued to fill a water bottle halfway with vodka and went to an off-campus apartment to “pregame,” a term to describe drinking before going to another destination to drink more.

Buschick first fell as the group was leaving to walk to a local bar, the report says, and was too drunk to enter the bar when she arrived. She eventually reunited with her roommate, and they called a taxi to take them back to Morris Hall.

The taxi driver told police Buschick fell when exiting his taxi at Morris Hall and that her roommate asked him to help get Buschick back up to their room. After the driver returned Buschick to her room, he was afraid she would fall out of her bed and hit her head. He then laid her down on a bean bag chair, according to the report.

When the roommate awoke the next morning, Buschick had not moved.

Katie, Erica’s childhood best friend, had not received the news until  she got a text message from another student who attended Warren Township High School.

“At the time I was at the gym and just kind of like fell to the ground. Cause like I didn’t know if it was true or like why would someone be saying this about Erica”, said Paiser.

Her friends at school picked her off that ground and tried to help her in any way they deemed fit.

“Yeah she’s my friend [Katie] but also she’s my sister and so you like learn to care about these people and when it actually affects someone that you like you know and love deep down, it hurts you”, Vasquez says.

Hurt is what Katie feels to this day, as she still finds herself reaching for her phone to call her friend Erica. A friend who she has been in her life for as long as she can remember.

“Theres a lot that I could say but I would probably just tell her that I miss her and I love her”, Paiser says.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqpG5SM–Eo

In honor of Erica, her family has created the Erica Gwen Foundation. The cause encourages students around the country to prevent similar tragedies from happening. An annual scholarship will be awarded in Erica’s name to a student who has helped someone in an emergency. Erica’s first event will be on December 15th, 2018.

Delta Zeta plans to carry on Mocktail for ‘I Have a Choice‘ week and for their sister Katie. For more information on binge drinking, please visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.