The near-death of a recent graduate Sunday in a Harvard dorm room prompted University officials to issue a statement late last night warning about the "severe health risks" posed by an increasingly popular designer drug.

The circumstances following a weekend party at 10 DeWolfe St. have University officials worried about student use of gamma hydroxybutyric acid, known to police as GHB.

At 11:16 p.m. Sunday, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) received a call alerting duty officers that two men had fallen unconscious in a second-floor room on 10 DeWolfe St.

According to Daniel A. Rosenthal '02 , who attended a party with the recent graduates, paramedics were called when the two began to convulse.

Police arrived at the scene in a minute, along with paramedics and the Cambridge Fire Department.

Authorities found two unresponsive males lying in a doorway and quickly determined that an overdose of either drugs or alcohol was to blame, witnesses and Harvard officials said.

Ambulances rushed the two to Mt. Auburn Hospital. One of the men was in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson. The other was taken to intensive care.

Officers soon discovered that the two had taken several shots of liquid GHB mixed with alcohol.

In an interview last night, Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth said he hoped Sunday's incident does not hint of a larger drug problem at Harvard.