In April 2006, new greek life initiatives were imposed on the student body, with much of the focus being on an alcohol policy. The administration met strong opposition from the campus—greeks and independents alike—especially regarding the manner in which this was handled. Ultimately these initiatives were not implemented. Since then, the Dean of Students Office, the Student Health Center, and many current greeks and alumni have been working together to achieve policies that not only protect students but also are the product of research and discussions between the appropriate people.
Currently, the new Institute Policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs is in the approval phase, and contains a Good Samaritan Policy that is important for the campus to be familiar with. This policy outlines a procedure and subsequent reduced consequences in alcohol- and drug-related incidents. Although these events tend to stay private, except to those who actually attended the party, there are many cases of someone going overboard—primarily this means the person had too much to drink, but if he or she is underage, the party’s hosts are very reluctant to seek help. The mentality is that if an ambulance was called or the person was brought to the hospital directly, those responsible for providing the alcohol would in turn be reprimanded. Whether we want to believe that this is occurring or not, the truth is that it may be all too common and could lead to serious harm.
The new Good Samaritan Policy would set up a procedure to follow in the event of an emergency situation. Rather than the party hosts simply trying to help the person themselves or letting the person sleep on the bathroom floor while violently ill, they would be able to call for assistance without being charged with providing alcohol to minors. According to the policy’s final draft, both the person who needs help and the caller—whether they are from a private house party or an organization’s event—would not be subject to judicial action. They might, however, be required to attend alcohol or drug education programs, but this is a small price to pay given the consequences there could be.
This has already been approved by Vice President for Student Life Eddie Ade Knowles and is currently being reviewed by President Shirley Ann Jackson for modifications and/or approval. As an Editorial Board, we strongly urge the president, and ultimately the Board of Trustees, to approve these documents with little to no change in order to move toward a safer campus and surrounding area. It is important for students to understand that seeking medical assistance is always the best—and really, only—option in any emergency situation. It is also important to note that under this new policy, people who do not report incidents are more apt to face judicial actions from RPI. However, it must be made clear that this does not provide the means to binge drink and get away with it—this is a means of guaranteeing the safety of Rensselaer’s students and letting them know that help will be provided, no questions asked.
