COLUMN: Penn hasn't learned from LSU

From Eric Goldstein's, "Upon Further Review," Fall '97 From Eric Goldstein's, "Upon Further Review," Fall '97 As college students across the country began moving into their new dorms a few weeks ago, students at Louisiana State University were mourning the loss of a classmate. After ingesting too much alcohol in far too little time, the LSU student died. But Penn President Judith Rodin refused to allow the tragedy to pass without some introspection. During a recent conversation, her face became suddenly solemn as she thought about the possibility of a similar death here. She told the few students who were gathered around her that her greatest fear is she will lose a student to a violent crime or binge drinking. How could she explain such an event to the dearly beloved's family, she wondered. Rodin's fear is neither irrational nor implausible. Just days after she expressed her concerns, two freshman in Hill College House had to be rushed to the hospital to treat alcohol poisoning. One of the students actually stopped breathing after doing one too many shots of liquor. The lesson of the LSU death and the near-tragedy in Hill House has been lost on Penn students. The overwhelming majority of social events are still centered around drinking. And this usually isn't casual social drinking; it's often dangerous binge drinking. Senior Screamers continue to be drinking marathons. Yesterday, dozens of seniors could be found hopping from one bar to another, taking advantage of $1 pint deals and $3 pitchers, as part of the South Street Strut. If you are a senior and aren't a drinker, then there is no place for you in the senior class -- or so the Senior Class Board seems to be implying. Sure, Screamers please a diverse variety of tastes -- that is if your notion of diversity is Smokey Joe's Tavern one night, Cavanaugh's the next night and Irish Pub the third night. The Animal House stereotype of undergraduates is not merely a caricature of college students. As they say, stereotypes become stereotypes for a reason. Penn administrators were criticized for failing to address campus crime issues until after a student had been shot. But those same students who complained about Rodin's handling of that incident are the same ones who will do nothing to address the dangers of binge drinking until a Penn student stops breathing -- and isn't revived. In the case of campus alcohol abuse, administrators have taken the lead in implementing preventative measures. For example, the Athletic Department recently earned a grant to implement a series of alcohol workshops targeted at student-athlete-drinkers. The program will be in large part lead by students, the rationale being peer pressure works both ways. In fact, it does. If you're out with five or six friends and none of them is drinking, how likely are you to drink? The program seems particularly well conceived, since alcohol abuse is especially rampant among student-athletes. A study by College Health indicated 61 percent of male college athletes and 50 percent of female college athletes had admitted to binge drinking. Those are certainly staggering numbers, but the percent of non-athletes involved in binge drinking is only slightly more assuring. Among men, the rate is 43 percent. For women, it's 36 percent. And Penn administrators have been quick to address that problem as well. Although Rodin was accused of implementing an in loco parentis policy for inviting Liquor Control Enforcement agents to campus to crack down on illegal drinking during heavy party weekends, it was actually a sign of genuine care for students' well-being. Others outside of the University are trying to tackle the problem via legislation. In the wake of the LSU death, the president of Coors Brewing Co. suggested that legislators lower the legal drinking age. By indoctrinating children in the rite of bar-hopping, he argued, they would be better prepared to use the alcohol responsibly. However, the more realistic outcome would be, instead of 18-year-olds making fake IDs, there would be 15-year-old fussing over the perfect lamination. Coors' suggestion is fairly transparent -- the more legal drinkers, the more Coors customers. It has also been suggested, by brewers and drinkers alike, that by decriminalizing alcohol for the under-21 crowd, much of the attraction of drinking would be gone. Then how does one explain the glut of seniors at Smoke's on "sink-or-swim" night or the packed crowd of 40-year-olds at Cav's on Sundays during football season? Of course, seminars and task forces can only do so much. In the end, it is the responsibility of the students to protect themselves and their classmates. Why not have a Senior Screamer at a Philadelphia Phillies game instead of the Blarney Stone? For roughly the same cost as a couple of beers, you can buy a general admission ticket at Veterans Stadium. Or how about a venture to Manayunk one evening, similar to the successful event sponsored by the Junior Class Board just last weekend? Not only is this dangerous; frankly, it gets boring.