An official at Mary Greeley Medical Center’s emergency department said she has seen an increase in drinking emergencies at the hospital, which, she said is in accordance with the increase of the 1996 liquor-related arrests by the Department of Public Safety .

Dixie Hyde, clinical director of the emergency department at Mary Greeley Medical Center, said drinking has always been in the Ames and Iowa State communities.

Hyde said the numbers reflect DPS’s effort to get people off the streets.

Not only did DPS’s number increase, but Hyde said, intoxications coming into the emergency department have also increased at Mary Greeley Medical Center. “We’ve seen kids who were in life or death situations, that had to be put on ventilators.”

Hyde said the biggest solution to the problem is education. “There are a lot of people that have no idea that drinking can be so bad.”

She said young people need to talk to people who have seen the worst of drinking.

Although Hyde said the number for people brought in for intoxication has increased, she sees it as a good thing. “My staff’s feeling is that students are bringing their friends in more often.”

Peter Englin, residence life coordinator, said more students have been transported to Mary Greeley Medical Center for intoxication.

“Our experience has been the number of students we had to transport for public intoxication [to Mary Greeley Medical Center] has increased,” Englin said. He also said alcohol use is a factor in most of the fights, vandalism, sexual harassment, assaults and domestic abuse that occur in the residence halls.

To help curve the problem, Englin said, residence hall personnel are working harder to inform staff of the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse, assist the DPS and access individuals who have been drinking.

An in-service for all resident assistants and hall directors on alcohol policies, regulations and abuse will be held April 6.

Charles Cychosz, a program coordinator for Student Counseling Services who deals with alcohol abuse, said there are second-hand effects involved when people drink. He said when people get drunk they effect other people, like when they wake up their roommates and houses.

The trend of some fraternities, who plan to ban drinking in their houses by the year 2000, is a direct result of second-hand effects, Cychosz said.