SYRACUSE -- More Syracuse University students are being transported to the hospital because of drinking.
Data shows in September and October of 2011 there were close to as many alcohol-related ambulance calls as there was the entire previous academic year. Here's a breakdown of those calls:
58 were on campus calls.
24 were off campus calls.
The director of Health Services says it's a problem that's impacting freshman.
The president of the Syracuse University Student Association is troubled by the recent numbers about binge drinking. Dylan Lustig has proposed a change in university policy to allow underage students to receive only a warning the first time they need an ambulance for an alcohol incident. Lustig says removing the risk of severe discipline could actually save lives.
"Under the old policy, they would have shied away from calling for help because they would have landed with judicial affairs crawling down their back," said Lustig.
Not everyone agrees. Some people on campus think the new proposal could actually make the problem worse.
Sorority house mother Michelle Arnold does her best to keep the girls in her house safe Arnold says there need to be real consequences for dangerous behavior - not free passes.
"I think it takes personal responsibility off the people involved," said Arnold. "I think you in choosing to have an alcoholic drink in college are responsible."
Others in student government say they don't want to encourage alcohol abuse but do want to find realistic solutions that will keep people safe.
"They don't know their limits. They don't know how much is enough. We want to help them understand that and then also protecting any student who can really reach out and say my friend is in a difficult situation right now," said PJ Alampi from the SU Student Association.
