About 30 underage drinkers at parties thrown by Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi were cited by agents. A female freshman was hospitalized early Sunday morning due to an alcohol-related illness, according to a source close to the situation. The freshman was released from the hospital a few hours later. Friends of the victim -- a Ware College House resident -- called the police while the woman was lying semi-conscious in her bed, the source said. An ambulance arrived at the Quadrangle at about 3 a.m. and the student walked with the paramedics to the waiting vehicle, which took her to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The victim was admitted to the emergency room at about 3:30 a.m. and discharged at about 7:30 a.m., a HUP nursing administrator said. She was rehydrated using an intravenous line and sustained no serious injuries. There have now been at least six students hospitalized for alcohol-related illness this school year. Last October, a Penn freshman and one other student were hospitalized during the same weekend. And in September, three freshmen -- all Quadrangle residents -- were taken to HUP for alcohol-related illnesses. University officials said last fall that they believed the reason for the hospitalizations was that students have become more aware of the risks involved in alcohol consumption and are quicker to get help for their friends. The University also released a report last fall outlining strategies for combatting binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more for women. Suggestions included having more Friday classes to discourage drinking on Thursday nights, offering more non-alcoholic weekend programming and notifying parents after any binge drinking incident.
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