From the NYTimes, Berkeley will give its students genetic tests.
...this year’s incoming freshmen at the University of California, Berkeley, will get something quite different: a cotton swab on which they can, if they choose, send in a DNA sample.
The university said it would analyze the samples, from inside students’ cheeks, for three genes that help regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, lactose and folates.
Those genes were chosen not because they indicate serious health risks but because students with certain genetic markers may be able to lead healthier lives by drinking less, avoiding dairy products or eating more leafy green vegetables.
Perhaps we should consider doing this at Claremont? It would let people know before they started heavily drinking that they had better watch out, lest they get a trip to the emergency room for trying to keep drinking with their friends.
Admittedly the lactose and folates information intrudes a bit on privacy, but at least giving people a choice on whether or not they would want to be tested is far superior to the cookie-cutter-one-size fits all regulation of taking away all trays in the dining hall.
