The University of Wisconsin Greek system warned more than 250 new members of the dangers of irresponsible drinking Sunday night by sponsoring a professional lecturer who discussed the reasons students may choose to drink and what problems excessive drinking can cause.

“We’re hoping that by getting new members here they’ll know they need to be more responsible with alcohol now that their parents aren’t around anymore,” said UW senior and Interfraternity Council President Dan Bergrine.

Bergrine said the Greek system has sponsored alcohol-education programs for at least the last 10 years in hopes of reaching the few members who may potentially develop drinking problems.

Speaker Rick Barnes said the ultimate concern with binge-drinking on college campuses is that statistically, fewer students are choosing to drink each year, but the cumulative number of the students who do drink is increasing.

Barnes discussed the five levels drinkers experience with alcohol. The fifth phase is death from intoxication, and Barnes emphasized how close binge-drinking students come to this phase when they experience phase three, vomiting, and phase four, which is passing out.

“A lot of these things I’ll remember for a couple weeks, but then I’ll forget most of it,” said UW freshman Joseph Bert, who is in Kappa Sigma. “When [Barnes] talked about the five phases, it was scary to think how close passing out is to death. Five out of 10 of my friends passed out last night probably.”

Barnes refuted various reasons college students use to legitimize drinking, citing reasons given in a College of Alcohol survey that asked students why they drink.

Students who say they drink because it’s the best way for male bonding, for example, need to realize they are eventually going to graduate and have to relate to others in conversations that won’t involve alcohol.

Also, Barnes said students who choose to drink because it “facilitates sexual encounters” should realize that because alcohol is a depressant, it slows down your body and many mistake this effect for lower inhibitions and becoming more sensual.

To most students’ surprise, Barnes cited a study that said two-thirds of college students nationwide on an average drink less than one alcoholic beverage a day.

“If you think you are drinking more than that, you’re the abnormal one. You’re part of the one-third,” Barnes said.