Natl. ads target alcohol abuse

Prompted by the growing number of alcohol-related incidents on campuses nationwide, Penn State President Graham Spanier is launching a national anti-binge drinking ad campaign. Penn State has seen its share of alcohol-related tragedies in recent years, including the recent near-death of a 21-year-old senior who was hospitalized with a .682 blood alcohol level after drinking 21 shots in two hours for her 21st birthday. The student was found by a police officer and is now recovering at home. "This issue is not unique to Penn State," Penn State spokesperson Bill Mahon said. "This is a problem throughout the country [and] at every school in the country." The campaign will feature full-page advertisements in national daily newspapers across the country on September 10. Each of the 113 schools that belong to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges can then buy ads in local newspapers, including student publications. "Many of us on college campuses and in the local communities where our institutions are located have been focusing on the problem of high-risk binge drinking for several years now," Spanier said in a statement. "But if we are going to succeed in addressing the public health issue, we need the interest and support of the general public," he added. Mahon said the purpose of the campaign is not to stop drinking on college campuses, but to end alcohol abuse. "We're not against drinking, we're against drinking and dying," Mahon added. "We want to get America talking about the problem," Mahon said. "We should not have so many people dying because of alcohol." Describing the campaign as "an effort to help get America focused on the issue," Mahon explained that the "key part" of the campaign is to reach everyone, not just college students. "It is not unusual for students who come to our colleges and universities to already be experienced binge drinkers," Spanier emphasized. "It may be too late for some of these students if we wait until they begin college to attempt to address the problem." One of the campaign's slogans, according to NASULGC spokesperson Cheryl Fields, is that "a one-night binge can change your life." "We really need the public's help in recognizing this is a serious public health problem," Fields said. "We're really trying to dramatize it for them."