ROCHESTER - The Rochester Institute of Technology has suspended both its men's and women's rugby clubs for the rest of the season pending a hearing after a weekend drinking party sent six players to the hospital, officials said.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to the off-campus party about 10:45 p.m. Friday in Henrietta. Six students who passed out from excessive alcohol consumption were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. All have since been released.

Club sports like rugby don't have the same drug and alcohol testing and educational programming that the college teams do, said Dawn Soufleris, director of RIT's Center for Student Conduct and Conflict Management Services. “We've got to look now at what we're doing with the club sports,” she said.

The sheriff's office is continuing its investigation. No charges have been filed yet, spokesman Cpl. John Helfer said. Deputies were called because of one intoxicated student. They found five others in the basement, also passed out, he said. Students involved could face campus sanctions ranging from required alcohol counseling to suspension, Soufleris said. The six hospitalized - two men and four women all under 21 - had blood-alcohol levels as high as five times the legal limit, she said. Three were temporarily put on ventilators in the hospital intensive care, she said.

The heads of the men's and women's rugby teams could not immediately be reached for comment.