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Show 5 OPINION Alcohol education needs to be a priority Tuesday, September 29,2009 www.dailyutahchronicle.com T he headlines told the story loud and clear in November 2008. Michael Starks, an i8-year-old fraternity hopeful, died from alcohol poisoning; the preliminary results showed that his TINA PARSONS blood alcohol content was 0.35. It was a wake-up call for Utah State University, and the aftermath Freshman, Social Work has brought lawsuits, criminal court proceedings and the loss of and Sociology a greek house on USU's campus. The U and its greeks have been quick to respond to this tragedy, perceived, the funds are earmarked and have forged an alliance with the for other projects. Megan DuBois Starks family to bring the message of the Center for Student Wellness of the dangers of binge drinking and said there isn't enough funding to alcohol poisoning to students on provide all the services and educaour campus. tion that are available. "We are constantly looking for "(The Michael Starks incident) grant funding that will supplement was a real eye-opener for students, our programming and will help adstaff and administration about how real this is," said Jay Wilgus, dean of dress needs on our campus," DuBois said. Incidents such as Starks' students and adviser for greeks at should demonstrate the need for the U. "We have taken a really proactive approach, using that incident more funding to alcohol education. as an educational tool." Housing and Residential Education enforces a progressive conTo show you just how proactive, the Greek Leadership Summit is Fri- sequence policy with all alcohol and drug violations. A first-time day, and George Starks Jr. and Jason Starks are the keynote speakers. All minor alcohol offense will most likely result in a six-hour Prime students are invited to attend and for Life course with an accompalearn from this event. nied $50 course cost, as well as The U has few statistics on the notice that future violations might number of students who drink. include suspension or dismissal This can lead to loss of funding from housing and potentially the for alcohol awareness programs or institution. Typically, parents of no funding being provided in the first place. All programs are funded students under 21 are notified. based on need, and if no need is A second violation will usually S \ Oh "Pi Kappa Alpha on probation for trash, alcohol violations" (RitaKitten, Sept 28/2009) News Joseph Smith posted^.28 -The-Geeks need to grow up and start acting like responsible adults instead of a bunch of drunken bums (and bumettes). Thor posted 9.28 How are Greeks supposed to police and control themselves when Beth Arnett constantly cries wolf to the police every weekend? They forgot to mention all of the false accusations Beth Arnett has made, and her reputation with the police department. She is a nuisance, and needs to leave the neighborhood. Just because she got a deal on her house, doesn't mean she can try and kick houses out of the neighborhood that have been there for 100 years. She is NOT a credible source for anything university related - Rita should feel ashamed for quoting her. Rob posted 9.28 I had the misfortune of sitting in front of several Pike 'bras' in the MUSS. Their abusive language toward the USU fans who were dumb enough to sit in our beloved MUSS was understandable, but crossed the line at four lettered accusations of incest and bestiality, and I reported them when they started throwing empty bottles. Despite all the attempts to improve public perception, the Greek system is a drain on the campus. tired of it posted 9.28 Beth Arnett is still a neighbor to the greeks, which let'sbe honest would probably suck, even if you do not agree with what she has said, she still has the right to say it. Let's stop bitching about the greek system already. The drink, they party, they are loud but they are also solid guys and girls with some exceptions. I don't understand why the greek system always produces such negatiivity on both sides of the fence. Greeks stop drawing unnecessary attention to yourselves, Nongreeks give the greeks a break, they are basically just like you p riot above {ZackOakey* §ept 28, Chrony Reader posted 9.28 I don't think the punishment fits the crime, only because all the sales were recended. Otherwise, yes, he should be held to the maximum penalty. Mainly, because there are other ways possible to prolong or hold up these sales and Tim didn't do any of them. He chose to do it his way, which he knew was illegal and he admits it. If you willingly commit a crime you're saying you're willing to take the punishment for committing that crime. Although, in this case just a fine is not enough punishment. Tim needs to have some community service tacked on with the monetary penalty so future "rebels" to set a precedence. include a referral for an alcohol or drug assessment completed by professionals from the U Counseling Center, an educational paper on the student's use of alcohol or drugs and a referral to the office of the dean of students. Students with a second violation might also lose their privileges of remaining in campus housing. A third violation might result in a student's eviction from housing as well as suspension or dismissal from the university. This policy is a strong one. The consequences are clear, but there needs to be early education available before this happens. To only throw consequences is counterproductive when there are no preventative measures beforehand. The jurisdiction of the office of the dean of students includes alcohol and drug violations occurring on the main campus as well as sorority and fraternity housing. In this case, a first-time minor alcohol violation that occurs in sorority or fraternity houses typically results in a $50 fine paid by the sorority or fraternity member as well as a $100 fine paid by the sorority or fraternity to the Greek Council Office. There is no lasting benefit to these types of sanctions when there is no early intervention. Funding needs to be made available for education and prevention measures. The university's alcohol policy is CLASS 20O9 VLADIMIR SOKOLOV/Tbt Doily VlahChnmklt fairly progressive and does a good job of applying the consequences of drinking. Now is the time to step up education on campus. Let's take alcohol education into our orientations and make our entire student body aware of the dangers of alcohol by making it a priority. Funding needs to be made avail- able for alcohol awareness education and prevention. All students should be required to complete at least some alcohol awareness education, whether they drink or not. No one can act responsibly if they do not have the proper knowledge to do so. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Marijuana benefits often overlooked T he U has become quite the weed-friendly place lately. Marijuana use at Redfest was high, and the U was ranked fifth in the nation for marijuana activism by High WHITNEY Times magazine. Way to go, FlTTS Utes. That last statement might be taken sincerely or sarcasJunior, Psychology tically. I'm not here to tell and Mass Communication anyone where to stand on recreational drug use—that's something people need to Such political blacklisting decide for themselves. However, greatly slowed research and there are some serious social and development of the drug, so we health care benefits to society by often don't use it in a clinical taking a more mellow approach to setting. Instead we opt to write marijuana. prescriptions for opiates such as morphine and OxyContin Marijuana has had a hard time historically. According to a report (heroin is also an opiate) with high potential for addiction to redone by the Center for the Study lieve long-term pain in patients. of Democratic Politics, "declassiLong-term on a highly addictive fied Oval Office tapesfrom1971substance is a bad plan. Besides 1972 (the Nixon Administration) being chemically dependent, it demonstrate that the foundation can and will wreak havoc on the of marijuana criminalization is body. misinformation, culture war and prejudice." That's a rough misrepAlthough it might seem soresentation for a drug to bounce cially addictive, marijuana has no back from. chemically addictive properties. And although Congress' recent actions would make you feel otherwise, I would hardly call wocking toward smarter health care as socially deviant behavior. Because possession of man-*1 juana is punishable by prison time, it has caused overcrowding in our already packed prisons. I hate to see rapists go free in order to make room for the non-violent student incarcerated because of marijuana possession. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 34,540 Americans are incarcerated for marijuana offenses. I don't believe in recreational drug use, but I also don't believe in shorter and more lenient prison sentences for sex offenders because of overcrowded prisons. It is unethical to continue prescribing drugs with high abuse potential for extended periods of time when we have the potential to be developing new, safer drugs that have less risk of dependency. It's still no miracle drug without side effects, but marijuana does have its benefits. letters@chronicle.utah.edu U needs Good Samaritan law T he War on Drugs has been waged in this country since 1969 when President Richard Nixon declared it. Although I think it MATT must continue, it includes one fatal flaw. PLUMMER Mandatory minimums, the three strikes law and school zone drug laws are just a few Senior, Political Science weapons in the War on Drugs. Strict laws concerning drugs show people that if they mess the number of drug overdose around with drugs, they will go deaths in Utah in 2008 was 517. to jail. But the fear of prosecution It is clear that drug use on hurts people in need of medical campus exists, and there are 517 assistance because they are afraid too many deaths related to drugs to come forward for treatment. in Utah. The selfless thought Part of "Happy Valley," a docuand personal responsibility of mentary filmed in Utah, relates calling an ambulance to save how a teenage girl overdosed and another person's life should be her friends—fearing prosecution justification for waiving legal and discipline—did not call for prosecution and instead provide help, and she died. treatment and counseling. SavEnter the Good Samaritan Law: ing lives is a priority, and offera proposed law gaining support in ing amnesty from prosecution many areas that protects a person to those who call for help when assisting another in an emergency somebody has a medical emersituation, such as an overdose. gency related to drugs will assist The U Police Department had a this priority. total of 267 incidents of liquor As it stands, there is no school and drug arrests and disciplinary policy that addresses this issue. referrals in 2007. A Utah DepartIf there is a medical emergency ment of Health press release said where EMS is called for an over- dose, the U will investigate to determine who and what caused the incident. "I would hope students would call for help in any emergency situation," said Lori McDonald, associate dean of students. "I would rather face a behavior violation than having someone live with a tragedy." New Mexico has the highest overdose rate in the country. Under new legislation called the 911 Good Samaritan Law, drug users do not have to fear criminal charges when they call for medical assistance for an overdose victim. Cornell University has a similar policy for alcohol use, a Medical Amnesty Protocol implemented in the 2002-2003 school year. The year before this program, there were 63 alcoholrelated EMS calls. Four years later, there was a 44 percent increase to 911 EMS calls. Legislative action and U policy* should be reformed to accommodate the Good Samaritan idea. Implementing such reform would not bring leniency to the War on Drugs, but it would definitely save lives. letters@chronicle.utah.edu |