The Daily Pennsylvanian is a student-run nonprofit.

Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site.

drinking

Courtesy of cytoon/Creative Commons

The 2015 New Student Orientation saw a 50 percent decrease in alcohol-related hospitalizations compared to 2014, according to the Division of Public Safety.

From Aug. 20 to 25, there were 14 students transported to the hospital for alcohol-related reasons, down from last year’s 28, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. Of these 14 students, seven were freshmen, compared to 21 hospitalized freshmen in 2014.

This year, four sophomores, two juniors and one graduate student were also hospitalized. There were no seniors hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons. Eight of the hospital visits were by women, and six by men.

“We aren’t looking for fish in a barrel, but we are looking for responsibility,” Rush said. “We want to make sure students can explore in a safe way.”

There were 35 disorderly house complaints during NSO period, according to DPS. One of these complaints ended in a citation for underage drinking at 4036 Spruce St. According to DPS, a student was heavily intoxicated and belligerent when Penn Police responded to the complaint, resulting in his citation.

DPS met with several houses before NSO to go over policies and expectations and plans to do the same with the houses that received complaints over the weekend, Rush said.

One freshman received a citation for public urination after an incident involving the Ben Franklin statue at 37th and Locust Walk. “We have a zero tolerance policy in terms of urinating on Ben and in public, period,” Rush said. “This student was apprehended, cited and will have to go to court to explain their actions.”

Other crimes during NSO include multiple vandalisms on the 4000 block of Spruce Street, two arrests for disorderly conduct on Walnut Street and a stolen vehicle at the 3900 block of Spruce Street.

Comments powered by Disqus

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.