No major alcohol incidents mar first weekend of fall semester

The first weekend of the school year saw no repeat of the alcohol-related hospitalizations and citations at parties around campus last fall. The weekend passed without major incident, in contrast to last year's first week, when six students were sent to the emergency room with alcohol poisoning and four were cited for underage drinking, according to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski. Reikofski said InterFraternity Council members agreed to refrain from holding on-campus parties before September 6 in order to "keep from distracting freshmen from scheduled orientation activities, as well as allowing fraternity brothers to settle into their houses." But some students -- including those associated with the Greek system -- held parties off campus. IFC President Matt Baker attributed the weekend's lack of incidents to his organization's "promotion of responsible drinking" and said the IFC's "hosting of events was what made a significant dent in the number of incidents." But while Penn's campus has been quiet, national attention has focused on fraternities and alcohol consumption following the death of a Louisiana State University freshman August 26 and the hospitalization of at least two others during Sigma Alpha Epsilon's pledge week on the school's campus outside of New Orleans. Twenty-year-old Benjamin Wynne died of alcohol poisoning with a blood-alcohol level of .588, almost six times the legal limit of .10. Both Reikofski and Baker said they thought the national attention had little effect on the events at Penn this past week. Although a number of schools across the country -- including Villanova University in the Philadelphia suburbs -- have scheduled outright bans of alcohol on campus, Penn has adopted policies which emphasize responsible drinking rather than "zero tolerance." Fraternity chapters are required to attend alcohol training session's known as "TIPS," which discuss the effects of alcohol on the body and how to recognize and treat students who may be suffering from alcohol poisoning. "The TIPS program addresses alcohol rather than banning it, which is not realistic," Reikofski said. Fraternities have also adopted programs such as the Observe Program, under which graduate students monitor social events to assure the safety of party-goers. Other precautionary measures include providing non-salty snacks and alternative beverages at parties. "The efforts of the IFC in taking care of each other and not drinking to an excess, as well as a possible difference in the nature of the students this year all contributed to the big improvements this weekend," Reikofski said.