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Friday night in an undergraduate dormitory – chances are there is alcohol flowing in and out of rooms. One underage drinker has too much and needs medical attention. The choice to call an ambulance or face repercussions lies on the table. That choice just got easier for residents at the University of Maine.
Beginning Monday, Sept. 21, UMaine will start enforcing the Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Project. Drafted by Alcohol and Drug Education Programs (ADEP), medical amnesty will provide eligibility to lessen punishment for students who receive emergency medical assistance for alcohol poisoning and bystanders who call for help.
“This is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” said Lauri Sidelko, Director of ADEP.
The policy will offer an alternative to formal university disciplinary action, but is on a case-by-case basis. Students who receive medical treatment for an alcohol-related incident and students who report an incident will be eligible for consideration for the program only if they do not have multiple alcohol violations and a history of conduct code violations.
Although students may be eligible for the program, they are not excluded from a potential summons or citation from law enforcement.
“We will still make our decisions independent of the policy,” said Noel March, University of Maine Police Chief.
March noted that students at UMaine are often given a chance on their first offense, and possession of liquor by a minor is only a civil offense if the student is issued a summons.
“This is really a policy that has some constructive outcomes,” March said of medical amnesty. “We share this mutual goal. … First and foremost is no harm.”
The potential of death or serious harm when someone doesn’t call an ambulance for someone suffering from alcohol poisoning is a major concern behind the policy.
The alcohol-related deaths of students Adam Baxter in the fall of 2007 and Dylan Lyford in the spring of 2009 have been indicators of how the policy could be helpful.
“One death is too many,” said Owen McCarthy, UMaine student government president. McCarthy and General Student Senate have been consulting with ADEP on the policy.
March noted that fear of legal repercussions in situations where someone’s life may be on the line “shouldn’t be at all costs.”
Students admitted to the new program will complete an educational component but will not have a university sanction for an alcohol violation. The educational component may include a meeting with the dean of students, attending an alcohol education program or making a call to the student’s parents.
Sidelko sees this as a reasonable approach to the situation. She feels that if someone drinks so that they need medical attention, they probably need someone to talk to.
Students accepted into the program must complete all terms or they could be cited for non-compliance under the student conduct code. The same applies for students who call an ambulance for someone who drank too much. As part of the terms, the caller must stay with the intoxicated person until medical help arrives.
If a group or organization on campus hosted an event where medical assistance is needed for an intoxicated guest, they may still be held responsible for violations under UMaine policy, but willingness to seek medical assistance will help determine a sanction. Individuals within the organization may be eligible for the program.
Sidelko noted that the Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Project is not an original idea. Hundreds of colleges across the nation have similar programs.
Progress of the program will be measured through data comparison, participant surveys, focus groups and staff interviews.
Since the number of students who don’t call an ambulance for someone who probably needed one is almost impossible to measure, evaluation of the program will need these processes.
“It’s hard to measure. … Let’s be proactive about this and be helpful,” McCarthy said.
“You can’t measure what you don’t know,” March said. “When in doubt, shout out.”
