As of Aug. 27, 25 underage citations have been issued and 10 students have been sent to detox or a nearby hospital, Marc Lovicott, University of Wisconsin Police Department spokesperson said.
Increased alcohol-related citations are typical to this time of year, with the influx of students on campus and in the city, Lovicott said.
“These numbers may be a tad higher than average, but we’re used to seeing large numbers at the beginning of the year since students are just coming back to school and many aren’t used to a college setting,” Lovicott said.
However, despite finding normalcy in the number of incidents, the severity of the altercations have been considerably more severe, Lovicott said.
The extremely high amounts of alcohol consumed in some of the cases were both alarming and unusual, he said.
Officers have handled two cases in particular that could have ended fatally, both involving 19-year-old female students, a UWPD statement said. One student was recorded to have a BAC level of .33 and the other was found at a level of .37, the report said.
“These levels are significantly higher than what you typically see,” Lovicott said. “Usually people are between a .1 to a .25, it’s rare to see someone in the .3 range.”
UWPD always records BAC levels when dealing with alcohol related cases, however, it is not always possible to discover on site, Lovicott said. In some instances with highly intoxicated individuals who need immediate hospitalization, it is necessary to seek a blood test to discover the BAC level, he said.
This year, the university introduced a mandatory program, AlcoholEdu, to help curb the number of students drinking excessively and reduce the number of students whose academics are impacted by alcohol, University Health Services Executive Director Sarah Van Orman said.
“We don’t expect this program to have an impact right away, but we hope that over time students will be more educated,” Van Orman said.
It is important to note that copious drinking may lead to the suffering of a student’s grades, not to mention death if taken too far, Van Orman said.
“When students are found so highly intoxicated, the first thing that goes through my mind is relief that they’re alive,” Van Orman said. “The second reaction is ‘why did they go that far?’’’
People who drink frequently or people who have never drank before are typically the ones who wind up in detox, Van Orman said.
Noting, however, that it can happen to anyone, Van Orman highlighted the dangers of drinking games. People do not realize that they are asking their body to take on too much, she said.
UWPD is trying to get students to talk about these issues, Lovicott said.
“We understand that people will drink illegally, but we want students to know that these levels are incredibly dangerous,” Lovicott said.
Lovicott reminded students that the Responsible Action Guidelines give immunity to people who call for help when a person is in need of medical attention. This means that students will not get in trouble if they themselves are intoxicated but do the “right thing” by calling for help to save someone’s life, he said.
UW and UHS are working closely to evaluate how best to address these drinking issues, but in the meantime Van Orman urges students to take action if someone is in need.
“You could really save someone’s life,” Van Orman said.
