Editor's Note: Members of the media may request a copy of the electronic birthday card by e-mail. Contact aerafferty@ucdavis.edu. Sending electronic birthday cards to students on the brink of their 21st birthday is one of several new programs the University of California, Davis, will introduce this fall to address high-risk drinking. With its color portrait of a student who died of alcohol poisoning in April, the Internet greeting wishes students a happy birthday and a safe celebration -- a celebration with a happier ending than David Thornton's. Other initiatives include a program encouraging friends to be responsible for one another, a social-norming campaign, a peer education program for the Greek system and a peer support program. Some have come in response to Thornton's death; others were already being implemented. But they all build on an already well-established array of programs helping students make wise decisions about alcohol. Preliminary results of a survey of UC Davis students last spring showed 15 percent of respondents reported engaging in high-risk drinking while 30 percent don't drink at all. (High-risk drinking was defined for men as more than five drinks in one sitting and for women, more than four drinks.) "In a nationwide context, these numbers are very low in terms of those participating in high-risk drinking," says Carol Wall, vice chancellor for student affairs. "But as David's death makes evident, even a campus like ours must be attentive to the risks some of our students are taking," Wall says. Thornton, a high-achieving student just one year from graduation, died of alcohol poisoning after consuming 21 drinks in a downtown bar to celebrate his 21st birthday. "I think one of David Thornton's legacies is to touch the hearts and souls and minds of his peers in ways that save others, challenge others and inform others," says Janet Gong, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. The birthday program, which consists of an e-mail message with a link to the Web-based greeting, is modeled after one established at Michigan State University in 1999 following the alcohol-related death of a student. Those who've "signed" the UC Davis card -- Thornton's family and friends and others at UC Davis -- are hoping it will be just as effective as the Michigan State card. In an online survey of the 4,000 Michigan students who had received the cards, two thirds said they consumed alcohol in a more responsible manner after receiving the card, and 31 percent said they now drank less alcohol than they would have otherwise. At UC Davis, another new initiative is aimed not at students who may drink dangerously, but at their friends. The message was developed based on roundtable discussions with students following Thornton's death. "People feel uncomfortable telling even their best friends what to do with their lives," says Dr. Michelle Famula, director of the Cowell Student Health Center on campus. "That's not their role. "But when we talked about friends helping friends and how you help a friend in trouble, then they were asking for some specific information." So this fall the "Be a Friend" campaign will be launched. Information fliers will be posted in residence halls and in other campus buildings. And thousands of wallet cards will be distributed in residence halls and at campus events. Both outline the signs of alcohol poisoning and provide information on the do's and don'ts of helping a friend. Another campaign seeks to debunk the myth that "everybody's doing it." It uses a UC Davis survey on alcohol use, conducted as part of the National College Health Assessment, to show that most students drink less -- and less dangerously -- than their peers think. For example, 71 percent of respondents reported having three or fewer drinks when partying, 24 percent reported having four to six drinks, and 5 percent reported having seven to nine drinks. However, only 33 percent think others have three or fewer drinks, 54 percent think others drink four to six drinks and 13 percent think others have seven to nine drinks. Famula, says similar "social-norming campaigns" have been proven to reduce abusive drinking when such a gap exists. The survey findings are being incorporated into new and existing programs, including peer presentations to students living in residence halls, athletes and student clubs. The university also will place advertisements on Unitrans buses and with KDVS radio, the California Aggie and sports programs. The social-norming campaign was among 18 recommendations in the June 1999 report of the university's Alcohol and Other Drug Task Force. And so was sponsoring more on-campus activities as alternatives to off-campus parties where alcohol may be available. This year students themselves have taken on the challenge of organizing Turbulence II, a late-night activities program for students at Recreation Hall Friday, Oct. 6. Last year, more than 3,500 students attended the inaugural event including a dance, sports, games and food -- but no alcohol. Jennifer Lippert, who wrote the student senate bill making Turbulence a unit of the Associate Students of UC Davis, is the event's part-time director. "This is a project I felt strongly about," says Lippert, a history major. In consultation with campus administrators, she is working with representatives of about five student organizations and a corps of about 100 student volunteers. "We're investing efforts in supporting good choices and providing alternative activities to binge drinking," she adds. Beyond the campus, the university is facilitating a group established this spring to make recommendations to the community and university about reducing high-risk drinking among adolescents and young adults. The group -- including representatives from Davis High School, local bars, Sutter Davis Hospital, city and university police departments and several other campus departments -- has recently divided its work among three subcommittees on education, policy and environment, and intervention. Other initiatives planned: * Twenty specially trained students will use games and role playing to inform fraternities and sororities about alcohol abuse and other lifestyle issues. * A confidential support program will provide students the opportunity to explore their problems with alcohol or other drugs and to seek solutions in weekly meetings. * The university has provided parents of freshmen with a brochure encouraging them to talk to their sons and daughters about drinking in college. * Student Housing will host a late-night dance and games program for all residence hall students at Freeborn Hall Saturday, Sept. 30. Media contacts: -- Carol Wall, Student Affairs, (530) 752-6866, cfwall@ucdavis.edu -- Michelle Famula, Cowell Student Health Center, (530) 752-2300, msfamula@ucdavis.edu -- Julia Ann Easley, News Service, (530) 752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu