2008 Woodie Awards
Safety before punishment
Staff Editorial
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Opinion
Scenario one: Student overdoses in a dorm. Friends immediately seek medical help by calling 911. Student recovers from overdose. Scenario two: Student overdoses in a dorm. Friends freak out, trying to seek help without drawing attention or punishment to themselves. Time lapses. Help comes, or the student is taken to it, too late. Student does not recover from overdose and dies.
These are essentially the two scenarios at the heart of university Sen. Stacia Cosner's "good Samaritan" proposal, which would shield students who seek medical care for friends overdosing on drugs or alcohol from being punished for violating the student code of conduct.
The idea is not a novel one. Similar policies already exist at other universities and colleges. Still, it would be the first such policy at this university, and it wasn't proposed without critics. As reported by The Diamondback's Nathan Cohen yesterday, the proposal "faces some opposition from officials who say students who call for emergency services in such situations are not harshly punished under current rules and that a good Samaritan policy could be abused by students who repeatedly abuse drugs or alcohol."
Although there is some logic behind thinking that a good Samaritan policy would lead to students believing drug use is acceptable or that it would allow students to invoke it as an excuse no matter how often they use drugs or alcohol, that logic is horribly flawed. What is even more flawed is the excuse that penalties are already pretty lenient.
Students who are taking drugs or drinking underage obviously don't think what they are doing is "acceptable" in a legal sense. They are disregarding the fact that it is unacceptable, though presumably with the assumption and desire that they will not get caught. A good Samaritan policy would not make drug-use or drinking underage any less illegal in the eyes of the law, and students would know that.
The good Samaritan policy could be tailored so that it protected students from harsh penalties associated with the student code of conduct without disregarding an individual student's need for help or therapy. While a good Samaritan policy may prevent university officials from tailoring appropriate punishments on a case by case basis, it would not necessarily prevent them from tailoring appropriate helping methods on a case by case basis.
These are essentially the two scenarios at the heart of university Sen. Stacia Cosner's "good Samaritan" proposal, which would shield students who seek medical care for friends overdosing on drugs or alcohol from being punished for violating the student code of conduct.
The idea is not a novel one. Similar policies already exist at other universities and colleges. Still, it would be the first such policy at this university, and it wasn't proposed without critics. As reported by The Diamondback's Nathan Cohen yesterday, the proposal "faces some opposition from officials who say students who call for emergency services in such situations are not harshly punished under current rules and that a good Samaritan policy could be abused by students who repeatedly abuse drugs or alcohol."
Although there is some logic behind thinking that a good Samaritan policy would lead to students believing drug use is acceptable or that it would allow students to invoke it as an excuse no matter how often they use drugs or alcohol, that logic is horribly flawed. What is even more flawed is the excuse that penalties are already pretty lenient.
Students who are taking drugs or drinking underage obviously don't think what they are doing is "acceptable" in a legal sense. They are disregarding the fact that it is unacceptable, though presumably with the assumption and desire that they will not get caught. A good Samaritan policy would not make drug-use or drinking underage any less illegal in the eyes of the law, and students would know that.
The good Samaritan policy could be tailored so that it protected students from harsh penalties associated with the student code of conduct without disregarding an individual student's need for help or therapy. While a good Samaritan policy may prevent university officials from tailoring appropriate punishments on a case by case basis, it would not necessarily prevent them from tailoring appropriate helping methods on a case by case basis.
Submit a letter to the editor or post a comment below.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Ashley
posted 11/10/07 @ 5:33 AM EST
Next time you drink yourself into a stupor, why don't you call the waaaaaahhhhhmbulance. I guess it is too much to man up and take responsibility for your mistake(s). (Continued…)
Post a Comment