The Division of Public Safety reported 11 cases of alcohol poisoning -- mostly among freshmen -- during the weekend of New Student Orientation and around half as many the weekend after, marking an increase over years past.
Though such numbers are common during the first few weeks of school, Jill Baren, a professor of Emergency Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said that the hospital treats such cases "on a regular basis, generally on weekends."
Director of Alcohol Policy Initiatives Stephanie Ives said that "the number of students who have sought treatment at HUP's emergency room has increased in the past six years."
She attributes this increase not to an increase in dangerous drinking behavior, but to the medical amnesty policy -- implemented in 1999 -- which allows students to escape disciplinary action if they seek medical attention for an alcohol overdose.
The policy seeks "to remove the fear that students have of being disciplined, which could prevent them from seeking needed medical attention for intoxication," she said.
On a national level, however, drinking among college students has remained high, Medical School Psychiatry professor Charles O'Brien said.
O'Brien was part of a committee -- set up by former University President Judith Rodin -- that studied binge drinking among college students. He added that binge-drinking levels have not changed dramatically.
O'Brien said that underage drinking at Penn is evidence of a wider problem. "American college students believe that you are supposed to get drunk ... that it is normative behavior. They don't realize that it is dangerous."
"I just know that Penn is right there ... and has the reputation of being a social Ivy," he added. "Many students ... come to Penn because of this. It is quite a pity."
College sophomore Jonathan Hakim recalls the fall semester last year, when a close friend landed in the hospital after a night of partying and excessive drinking.
"It was stressful and hectic ... definitely something you would never want to go through again," he said.
Wharton senior Michael Toto, a residential adviser in Riepe College House, said that the medical-amnesty policy helps people to get the medical attention they need but that "there is one catch."
He said that some students may take advantage of this policy to escape any legal consequences of underage drinking.
However, College freshman Elizabeth Loy said that most students will probably not abuse this policy. "I don't really know if anyone would think about it that way. I've heard people joke about it ... but it is not a significant enough reason to completely get rid of the idea."
The Tennessee native said that students in her hometown are often faced with a choice between "getting in trouble or helping out a friend in need."
"There shouldn't have to be that kind of a judgment call," she said in support of the medical-amnesty policy.
Ives said that if students violate the University's alcohol policy but do not require medical attention, they may be held accountable on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to the amnesty policy, there are a number of initiatives being taken to encourage responsible drinking, such as mandatory alcohol education for incoming freshmen, the Zero to Four poster campaign and the First Step education program.
More than four - Eleven cases of alcohol poisoning were reported during New Student Orientation - The past six years have seen more students seek emergency treatment at Penn's hospital - The University implemented a medical-amnesty policy in 1999
