UC Davis is urging community and business leaders to unite with the campus to reduce incidents of high-risk alcohol consumption by adolescents and young adults in the community. A letter from Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, mailed Friday, April 7, asks other stakeholders in the Davis community to join the campus in addressing alcohol-related issues following the death Tuesday, April 4, of UC Davis student David Thornton. Thornton, a senior from Fresno who was majoring in biological sciences, died of alcohol-related causes after a night of drinking in a downtown bar to celebrate his 21st birthday, according to city of Davis police. "This moment, within the context of David Thornton's death, gives us an opportunity to build bridges of communication and cooperation," the letter says. "Our goal should be to develop a campus/community coalition to reduce the occurrence of high-risk alcohol consumption and the inappropriate, sometimes dangerous behavior that can, at its worst, threaten the lives of our adolescents and young adults." In the letter, Vanderhoef acknowledges both the campus's responsibility to try to protect the health and welfare of its students and the efforts of city and business leaders to maintain a safe community for everyone. "Still, there is more to do," he writes. "Our high school and university students must be aware of everything there is to know about high-risk drinking behavior. "We all have educational roles to play -- the campus; our city and university police departments; parents, landlords, business owners, and all who have an interest in minimizing consequences of excessive drinking; wholesalers and retailers who sell and serve alcohol," the letter says. "There are many stakeholders." Carol Wall, vice chancellor for student affairs, will draw members of the Davis community, business leaders and campus officials together within a few weeks, the letter says. "We have the opportunity to increase our impact by joining forces and bringing together the strength of the university's broad-based programs on alcohol and drug abuse with community interests and expertise," Wall says.