Drunk and Helpless: Alcohol Policy Behind the Times

Schools around the United States have made the beginning steps to having more student-friendly alcohol policies on their campuses, but LSC is not one of those yet.

"Students who are documented [that means innocent until proven responsible for the charges] for being publicly intoxicated may be summoned for a hearing," said Jonathan Davis, Associate Dean of Student Affairs. "The hearing officer [RHD, Director of Residential Life, Associate Dean or Hearing Panel] may, if the student is found to be responsible for the charges, assign a variety of educational sanctions including, but not limited to a warning, community service, online education modules, a research paper, probation, eviction or college dismissal."

Schools like Syracuse University are adopting a new alcohol policy, which would be more lenient on the students, and makes them less afraid to contact their campus security. 

An article published in The Daily Orange, an independent student newspaper at the university said, "Students in alcohol-related emergencies will soon be able to call for help without fear of punitive action on first offense."

The policy at Syracuse University would allow students who need medical attention to call, or have someone call, without receiving any judicial punishment on their first offense. 

The article continues to state, "Rather than facing probation on first offense of extreme intoxication, a student in need of medical transport would be reprimanded. The reprimanding would include a meeting with the Office of Judicial Affairs to discuss the incident that led to medical assistance."  But that is all.

Students here at Lyndon State College believe there should be a policy like that in affect for them as well. 

"I believe a change to the alcohol policy would be a good idea because let's face it, we're in college, and odds are a lot of teenagers make the decision to drink, and the campus police shouldn't crack down as hard for a first offense," said sophomore Daniel Weiner. 

Other students have similar ideas about the situation.  Junior Chris Martin said "It would benefit the students with a change like this.  People don't have to put themselves in the amount of danger they do if a policy like this was in place.  Maybe there would be less drunk driving accidents."