In the spring of 2015, Elizabethtown College’s Committee on Alcohol Regulations and Education (CARE committee) reviewed its policy on Medical Amnesty for the fall 2015 semester.
Susan Asbury, Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities, spoke about how the former policy had been in place since the College implemented the Medical Amnesty policy in the fall of 2012.
“The committee, comprised of staff and students, determined that it was time to tweak the policy for further clarification,” Asbury said.
The new policy is similar to the old one, which explained that students need to take immediate action if they are aware of an alcohol or drug emergency.
The original policy states, “Students should activate the Medical Amnesty response by: 1. Calling Campus Security or 911 (911 if off campus); 2. Remaining with the student experiencing the alcohol/drug emergency; and 3. Participating in the emergency response by providing medical team or Campus Security with all information essential for an effective and timely intervention.”
The part that was clarified for the 2015-2016 student handbook was the third point. The previous 2014-2015 handbook talked about providing an effective and timely intervention and cooperating with the Dean of Students or designee through any investigation of the incident.
“The CARE committee, Dean of Students, and the College all want students to seek help on behalf of a fellow student experiencing a drug or alcohol-related emergency without concern related to being subject to the consequences specified in the Student Code of Conduct,” Asbury said. “We hope this clarification to the policy encourages more students to take action to help a fellow student in need of assistance.”
Other noted clarifications in the Alcohol and Other Drug Policy section of the student handbook include the prohibition of winemaking and brew kits as well as synthetic and designer drugs. “We also provide clarification related to the resolution pathways regarding both general student conduct violations (e.g. the Formal Hearing is now called a Formal Resolution) as well as sexual misconduct violations,” Asbury said.
In addition to the updated policy, the entire Student Handbook will now be distributed in a more user-friendly online format, similar to that of the College Catalog, around mid-September in hopes that it will allow for more user-friendly access additional links to specific information.
You can read more about the policy starting on page 49 of the 2015-2016 Student Handbook.