The percentage of alcohol-related emergency calls placed at the university has remained at 10 percent since the 2009-2010 academic year, even as area schools see a rise in the number of students dialing for help.

The George Washington University’s numbers have gone up 14 percent in the past year. Two hundred seventy-one GWU students were transported to the George Washington University Hospital during the 2009-2010 academic year, up from 238 students the year before.

Only 10 percent of the calls Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service receives are linked to alcohol, according to the Georgetown Health Education Services website. The other 90 percent of GERMS calls involve other medical issues ranging from cardiac distress to behavioral emergencies. The most common type of GERMS call is for sports-related injuries.

When asked about these numbers, GERMS Public Relations Manager Brendan Maggiore (MSB ’11) confirmed them, but also noted that while 10 percent of calls to GERMS are alcohol-related, not all of those alerts result in transportation to the hospital.

“[Ten percent] has been the trend with very little variation for the past six years that we have been tracking call volumes.

About half of these alcohol-related calls do not end up as transports,” Maggiore said in an email. “After a thorough evaluation, we allow the students to sign a waiver and stay in their dorm.”

There are multiple causes for Georgetown’s low statistic as compared to GWU’s. According to Maggiore, the reason for the disparity between the two schools’ rates lies in the reach of each university’s emergency response team. Whereas GERMS serves a residential area, EMeRG, GWU’s ambulance service, provides emergency assistance to the multiple city blocks that make up GWU’s campus.

Students may also simply not want to call GERMS for alcohol-related issues, though Maggiore demented the negative connotations attached to alcohol-related incidents.

“From personal experience in my three years with the organization, I do not think there is a stigma around being `GERM-ed’ for alcohol,” Maggiore said. “The vast majority of the people who call for themselves or their friends have recognized that the situation is out of their comfort zone, and they want someone with a little more experience.”

Nevertheless, Kelly McCabe (COL ’12) noted that while she would make fun of a friend who was treated by GERMS for alcohol poisoning, she wouldn’t let it affect her overall view of the friend.

Georgetown does not adopt an official amnesty policy protecting underage students who call for help, though no disclipinary action will occur. The policy at GWU also excuses underage drinkers calling EMeRG from disciplinary action if they have not already received an alcohol-related transport.

Georgetown’s low numbers may also result from a lack of a Greek system, unlike GWU’s. Other universities that do not officially recognize Greek life, such as Princeton University, have noticed that students who are members of Greek organizations are more likely to need alcohol-related transport assistance than those who are not.

Eighteen percent of Greek life members need help as opposed to only 6.5 percent of on nomembers, according to The Daily Princetonian. Princeton University does not have a student-run ambulance system like GERMS or EMeRG.

aggiore said he hopes that students do not hesitate to call GERMS if they need to.

“We’re here 24/7 and happy to respond to any medical emergency. Even for the calls where we end up allowing the patient to refuse transport, we certainly do not mind coming for the evaluation – it’s what we’re here for,” he said.