You can read it on the shirts downtown: State College is a drinking town with a football problem.

And Penn State's newest attack on alcohol doesn't seem like it will change that.

After obtaining a $250,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Penn State is planning on targeting "dangerous drinking" among its students.

The program could involve enforcement, alternate activities and suggesting Friday exams.

However, the university should focus more on drinking safety than prevention.

Amy Neil, from the Penn State Commission for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), told The Daily Collegian the program would explain to students "the reality" of how much others are drinking.

Unfortunately, the reality of which Neil spoke -- where students have two drinks, not five -- seems to be a little inaccurate itself.

According to www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov, 1,700 college students die every year from alcohol-related, unintentional injuries.

Students are not ignorant of the drinking culture at Penn State. They are aware that some brag about how much drinking they do and others deny it.

But knowing a friend who claims they drank themselves into a blackout does not encourage others to follow suit the next night.

Furthermore, Penn State already has "alternative activities" on weekends: LateNight.

There are always students at the event, but it is simply not curbing the drinking culture kept alive by the rest of the students.

With regards to Friday exams, CSAP should strongly consider how that would change Penn State. If professors followed this recommendation, it is not a stretch of the imagination to say students will continue to drink and will simply have lower test grades.

Perhaps students would even start drinking earlier on Thursdays to get to bed earlier.

In order to combat drinking at Penn State, the university needs to approach the problem without babying or scaring the students.

The $344,000 Penn State is contributing to this program could instead be used to keep an eye on students late at night.

Students who require medical attention could be spotted, given the care they need and be required to then attend the Youthful Offenders program

If students are less concerned with avoiding cops and drinking earlier on Thursdays, maybe they'll even begin to consider their safety instead.