The Hartford (Conn.) Courant, Feb. 26:

The hospitalization of 11 Wesleyan University students offers yet more proof ”“ if any were needed ”“ of two facts of college life. One is that each generation needs fresh reminders of the dangers of using illegal substances. The other is that a great degree of academic achievement is no barrier to making stupid decisions.

The students were treated for what were apparently overdoses of the synthetic party drug MDMA, an amphetamine sometimes called Ecstasy or Molly, although exactly what the substance was is not known for certain. And that’s just one of the problems of using such drugs: You don’t really know what you’re getting.

Even without overdosing, or suffering a reaction from some unknown substance, people who take such recreational drugs place themselves at risk. As the head of the pharmacy practice department at UConn pointed out, Molly causes the release of the hormone oxytocin, which may predispose the user to take part in sexual activity he or she ordinarily wouldn’t agree to.

To his credit, Wesleyan President Michael Roth quickly urged all students to “please, please stay away from illegal substances” and to tell officials who supplied the drug. Four Wesleyan students were arrested in connection with the overdoses.

In 2013, one out of 13 Wesleyan students was disciplined for a drug violation, and among same-sized schools the university was second in the country for number of drug disciplines.

The numbers may indicate that the university has a particular problem with substance abuse, but they may equally show that in recent years Wesleyan has been a leader in cracking down on drug abuse.

Wesleyan is an elite school. For years it has been considered one of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges. It attracts, and admits, teenagers who are among the best and the brightest.

How sad ”“ and telling ”“ it is to see that even in this rarefied atmosphere, intelligent young people can still make terrible decisions. Substance-abuse education must not stop.