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University of Massachusetts Amherst said Amherst Fire handled 28 transports for alcohol intoxication during off-campus gatherings on Saturday, March 4, the school said in a statement.
Authorities said many students were carrying plastic gallon containers, believed to be "borgs." Borg stands for "black out rage gallons," and contain a mix of alcohol, electrolytes and water.
The purpose of drinking the borgs is to get drunk, or blackout, as soon as possible.
One TikTok user posted a video with the caption, "bad day to be a borg at umass," showing students' and the different names for their borgs.
Another video showed students celebrating as well as first responders tending to those in need of medical help. This was the first time school officials had seen "notable use" of borgs, UMass said.
The borg challenge is one of the latest drinking trends taking college campuses by storm. While some early borg videos date back to 2020, the trend has gained popularity within the past few months, NBC News reports.
Some health experts say drinking from a borg is actually safer but others are worried about the health risks they pose on students across the county, including those in Massachusetts.
“In my opinion, it actually makes it more dangerous,” Gus Colangelo, MD, Emergency Medicine Physician at Tufts Medical Center told Boston25. “Rather than having a cup of alcohol and someone saying, finish your beer, you have a gallon jug. Now someone’s saying to you, you got to finish that gallon jug.”
All UMass students who were taken to the hospital are expected to be okay and authorities made two arrests as well, the university said. UMass pledged to "improve alcohol education and intervention, and communicate with students and families" following the events.
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