Tufts' new alcohol policy sparked an immediate reaction across campus. Some lamented how it would impact their Saturday night activities, while others were quick to point out its dangerous implications for students in need of medical attention due to alcohol consumption. Still others, most notably Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Brandon Rattiner, attacked the university's decision to implement the policy without consulting the student body or its leaders. Now, however, the debate is moving beyond fault-finding and finger-pointing into the realm of solutions. TCU Senate has submitted a plan to the newly formed Alcohol Task Force enumerating steps to both lower the amount of alcohol consumption on campus and address the issue of students binge drinking to the point of needing medical care.
Part of the proposal mirrors policies in existence at many other major universities which allow students whose lives are at risk due to over consumption of alcohol to call for medical assistance without fear of judicial consequences. Termed "medical amnesty" or a "Good Samaritan" policy, this strategy is targeted at protecting students by eliminating the fear of punishment that may prevent them from calling for help when it is needed. While some administrators feel that a policy of medical amnesty would unfairly distinguish between those students who consume to the point of endangering their lives and those who don't, the first priority should be the safety of students rather than equal penalization for all.
At many other schools around the Boston area, medical amnesty is far from the no-strings-attached approach to alcohol violations that administrators seem to be trying to avoid. To gain medical amnesty the student seeking medical attention must first agree to go to a follow-up alcohol counseling session, and multi-instance offenders are often subject to much different consequences than first-time offenders. Such policies combine safety, education and information. They not only ensure that, first and foremost, the student receives medical care, but also that the issue is addressed through counseling, allowing an opportunity for education and also for the counselor to assess the individual and look for symptoms of greater issues regarding alcohol or drug abuse.
Medical amnesty also takes the burden of caring for and assessing the state of a drunken student off the shoulders of medically unqualified friends and classmates whose judgment, correct or otherwise, could potentially mean the difference between life and death.
Along with medical amnesty, the Senate's proposal includes a "social norms marketing campaign," which will attempt to change the way students view alcohol and alcohol consumption. While changing the behavior and drinking habits of the student body as a whole may be a long way off, the Daily believes medical amnesty would be a step in the right direction, clearing the haze of fear that could so easily lead a student to decide that necessary medical attention can be bypassed.
