Great Presentations!

Everyone in class did a fantastic job on their presentations. One topic that particularly interested me was Stephanie Mitchell's topic on Alcohol Amnesty. I had actually never heard of this before, but it really makes sense. Despite underage drinking laws, MIPs, fines, etc., alcohol use/abuse will ALWAYS be an issue on college campuses, especially large universities.
Just recently I attended a university organizational meeting for leaders in various clubs on campus, and we had a speaker explaining how we (the clubs) always hold responsibility for the consequences of underage drinkers at our events. In the past, organizations have gotten by with using the "BYOB" rule ("Bring Your Own Beer") and would not be held responsible if a minor was charged for a possession, misdemeanor, etc. Now, even if they bring their own alcohol, the organization can get in serious trouble if a minor has possession of alcohol at a function.

While this may seem to cut down on underage drinking (doubtful, though), this raises a serious issue of safety...If a minor becomes obviously sick to the point of alcohol poisoning, some groups may be even more hesitant to call for help knowing that they can be charged for it. I certainly don't think ANY organization would deny someone of help just to keep themselves from getting in trouble, but they would be more likely to postpone calling and "wait it out" or "just make sure" before they call. This could inevitably lead to death.
Stephanie's presentation explained how certain universities have already passed alcohol amnesty laws stating that if students call for help for a fellow student, neither the caller nor the student could get in trouble. I think Clemson needs a law like this because I have witnessed very sick students begging their friends not to call the ambulance because of fear of "getting in trouble." When there is threat of losing a life, there should be no question whether to waive a charge or not.

Some might argue that this will condone underage drinking, but I disagree. Underage drinking always has and always will be a problem. I really don't see how this law could be abused because I doubt anyone would call in a "fake" alcohol poisoning case--if anything, a trip to the hospital is expensive and students would not want to pay this cost if it weren't even real. If there was a problem with students abusing this law to avoid an MIP, policymakers could address it then. Certainly they could look at the records of other universities that have already passed the law and see if they had a problem with this.

This was a great presentation because it addressed a very relevant issue at Clemson University as well as other universities--good job Stephanie!