Committee examines binge drinking

President Judith Rodin has named a special committee on binge drinking and alcohol-related violence. The committee of 14 Penn faculty, staff and students will explore the recent rise in binge drinking at Penn, which mirrors national campus trends, and recommend strategies to reverse the trend and prevent alcohol-related violence on campus.

The committee's formation comes after President Rodin and the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life solicited comments and suggestions last fall from the campus community on how best to address the problem. Charles P. O'Brien, professor and vice chair of psychiatry, will head the panel. Other members include Alcohol and Other Drug Task Force Co-Chair Kate Ward-Gaus, Associate Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Scott Reikofsky, School of Education doctoral candidate Greg K. Dubrow and undergraduates Michael E. Kraver (C'99) and Karen E. Pasternack (C'98).

Suggestions that the committee will evaluate include mandatory counseling and late-night social environments not focused on alcohol.

Movers and shakers

The American Association for Higher Education has named a Penn administrator and a faculty member to its list of 80 leaders representing the "past, present and future" of higher education.

Executive Vice President John A. Fry was named one of 40 "young leaders" in higher education in the January-February issue of the AAHE's journal Change. Robert Zemsky, professor of education and director of the Institute for Research on Higher Education, was recognized as one of 11 "agenda setters" for higher education in the same list. The AAHE surveyed 11,000 educators and educational policymakers to compile its list of top movers and shakers.