She can only remember having one drink. Her next memory came several hours later when the first-year recalls waking up crying in the University Health Services (UHS) emergency room just before blacking out again for the second time that night.

The first-year student was brought to UHS by worried friends. They wanted to make sure she was okay. And the first-year says she appreciated their concern.

But in her friends' act of seemingly-innocuous assistance lay a more insidious result: After her hospitalization the first-year and her friends drew questions from College administrators about their conduct and were threatened with disciplinary procedures.

"I was under the impression that if you were sick enough to be taken to the hospital nothing would [happen]," says the first-year, who like many students interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"After the way things ended up happening...people discover that's really not the case and that makes people more hesitant to call [UHS]," she says.

In a semester that began with a letter from Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 reminding students of the current alcohol policy, the new administration's attitude towards underage drinking on campus has attracted the attention of students and university officials.

They say Lewis, who stepped into the position this fall, has been keeping a closer watch on undergraduate drinking than in the past.

"The letter that I sent was an important letter because it makes clear what I expect," Lewis says. "I hope people are re-thinking their behavior.... [These are] not new policies, [but] I certainly intend to remind students of what these policies are."

Elizabeth S. Nathans, dean of first-years, says Lewis has worked to improve the College's enforcement of alcohol policy this year.

"Our first concern remains the health and safety of everyone in the community, including those who inappropriately use alcohol," Nathans writes. "We remain committed then to making the most appropriate response in a given circumstance; often, that response is through medical attention or substance use counseling."

But some students say they are concerned with the College's approach to dealing with alcohol on campus.

They say that the current policy provides a disincentive for students who want to seek medical attention when drunk.

Drunk at UHS

Students interviewed about their experiences bringing intoxicated friends to UHS say they found out what proctors and tutors have told them about the alcohol policy has not always been true.

"I've been told....not to worry about having disciplinary action taken against you [for taking someone to UHS], said a junior who, along with her friends, was ad boarded after bringing one friend to the emergency room. "Because of this situation...a lot of us are skeptical about bringing people into UHS from now on."

But Lewis says that such experiences are consistent with the advice provided by College officials like proctors and tutors.