Six months after a University-wide task force released a report outlining recommendations to combat binge drinking at Penn, recent events have led the campus to once again focus its attention toward alcohol abuse.
Coming off of a weekend marred by four incidents of alcohol abuse and underage drinking -- including the alcohol-related death of University alumnus and Phi Gamma Delta brother Michael Tobin, the hospitalization of a female freshman for excessive alcohol consumption and the state police raid of two downtown sorority parties -- several sources said that only some of the recommendations and initiatives released last fall by University President Judith Rodin are fully in place.
Last fall, a special committee appointed by Rodin released a 10-page report outlining recommendations to combat binge drinking.
The committee was formed in January 1998 after more than 10 University students were hospitalized due to alcohol-related illnesses during the 1997 fall semester.
The major recommendations, committee members said upon the release of their report, were to hire a "coordinator" to oversee the University's academic, disciplinary and medical responses to students with drinking problems, and the creation of more non-alcoholic programming.
Also, the committee recommended notifying parents after alcohol-related incidents and scheduling more classes on Fridays to discourage Thursday night drinking.
Though several of the policies have been implemented over the past few months -- including the creation of non-alcoholic social programming through groups such as the Tangible Change Committee and Penn p.m., as well as the creation of a General Honors seminar about alcohol abuse -- others have been left partially unfulfilled.
University officials have not yet followed up on the plan to hire a coordinator to oversee alcohol programming, nor have they implemented a program to notify parents of student alcohol offenses, according to Drug and Alcohol Resource Team Advisor Kate Ward-Gaus.
Though a "new position" has not been hired to monitor alcohol programming, Ward-Gaus maintained that the projected duties of such a position -- including increased medical, disciplinary and support services -- are being fulfilled by staff members in the Offices of Health Education, Student Conduct and Counseling and Psychological Services.
And while Penn has not yet implemented a program to notify parents about alcohol offenses, a committee chaired by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman is investigating the issue.
InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl, a College junior, said that while some of the committee's ideas were "excellent" ones, several of the recommendations have not been fully implemented.
The Tau Epsilon Phi brother added that while changes in the campus culture have been attempted, "we have not seen effects."
Rodin stressed that the programming that has been implemented so far has been successful and that Penn's efforts to combat alcohol abuse are ever-continuing.
"Regrettably the new initiatives that have been initiated have been well-received and yet this still continues," Rodin said, adding that she was "deeply concerned" about the events of last weekend.
And Ward-Gaus explained that University officials will look at the existing policies and discuss what course of action the administration should take.
"The incidents of this week will be looked at," she said, adding that the focus will be "how could what happened happen in light of what we do."
But according to Ward-Gaus, the administration cannot fight alcohol abuse alone -- it needs to enlist the help of the students who can increase alcohol awareness.
"I've been here for five years and the major area that confronts me is student involvement," she said.
Alcohol-related deaths have struck other universities over the past several years. In the fall of 1997, Massachusetts Institute of Technology freshman Scott Krueger -- also a FIJI pledge at the time -- died from alcohol poisoning after a pledge event.
And in August 1997, Louisiana State University freshman Benjamin Wynne attended an off-campus fraternity party that culminated with his alcohol-related death.
