IU shifts reaction to alcohol incidents

Alcohol-related deaths on campus could be a thing of the past.

A newly implemented campus policy, the Hoosier P.A.C.T.  or Proactive Alcohol Care and Treatment, is tackling the complicated issue of University discipline concerning alcohol- and substance-related emergencies.

Cooperation between the IU Student Association and the Office of the Dean of Students made Tuesday’s signing of the Hoosier P.A.C.T. a reality.

The policy lays out a new system of dealing with those involved in alcohol-or substance-related emergencies. It addresses three entities: the individual in need of medical attention, the caller seeking medical attention on behalf of another and the student organization that seeks medical attention on behalf of a member or guest.

In the new policy, individuals who require medical attention will not face University disciplinary sanctions, provided the student completes an educational program through the Office of the Dean of Students.

Those who contact emergency services for someone unable to call also will not face University disciplinary sanctions as long as they stay with the individual until medical personnel arrive.

Student organizations also will avoid University discipline if they choose to call for medical assistance. If not, they could face more severe disciplinary sanctions, according to the policy. Regardless, organization members may need to complete educational programs or create organizational improvement strategies.

This new standard operating procedure applies to students for emergencies both on campus and in the city of Bloomington. Currently, the policy only affects University response. Students are still subject to actions by the Bloomington Police Department and other bodies of law.

A main focus of the policy is to remove the hesitation or fear of calling for medical assistance in an alcohol- or substance-related emergency, Justin Kingsolver, IUSA president, said.

“There should never be an alcohol-related death on a college campus,” Kingsolver said. “It was the choice between a life and saving face. Now, it’s just the call between ‘do I call,’ or ‘does someone die?’”

By encouraging students to speak up, a “culture of care” will be created, according to the policy.

“If we have a culture where students genuinely care about each other, everyone is safer,” Kingsolver said.

The theme of care carries into the new University responses, which focus less on punitive measures and more on education.

Such education would come in the form of one-on-one counseling, aiming to target the problem and create individualized plans to avoid dangerous behavior.

“Help does not come in the form of punishment. It comes in the form of education,” Kingsolver said. “We understand that people are going to drink. What’s important to me is that people learn how to responsibly drink.”

While the policy removes stringent University action, Kingsolver disagreed with the idea that it will encourage more underage drinking.

“It’s not saying you can do this as much as you want and not face any repercussions,” he said. “It means we’re being proactive.”

Additionally, consequences from other authoritative bodies such as the BPD
still apply.

HISTORY

Hoosier P.A.C.T. began as the “medical amnesty” platform during the Big Six ticket’s campaign for IUSA office.

The idea for the platform came after discussions with students and organizations, particularly greek houses and resident assistants, that centered around seeking medical help during alcohol emergencies, Kingsolver said.

Once elected, Kingsolver made it clear to administrators that the platform was his No. 1 priority, he said.

He and other IUSA officials began working on the platform two weeks after entering office in April.

Leading up to Tuesday’s signing of the policy, Kingsolver estimated the document went through at least 15 different drafts, not to mention numerous conference calls and meetings and hours of research and evidence gathering.

IU now joins 92 other institutions with similar policies and six others in the Big Ten, according to the policy.

“This was not an easy task,” Kingsolver said. “We just have a very, very, very good team that did a lot of research, knew the administrators and knew how to get
this passed.”

IUSA worked with various IU administrators to get the policy approved on campus, particularly Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Activities Steve Veldkamp and Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Ethics Jason Casares.

“I’ve been very impressed by IUSA,” Veldkamp said. “They’ve done their homework looking at other institutions. They thought through all the key points. It was a very rational proposal. By the time they had distilled their proposal, it was very palatable for the administration.”

Although it was a collaborative effort, Veldkamp said  IUSA was the largest
contributor.

“They did the lion share of the work. We just gave them feedback here and there,”
he said.

Kingsolver acknowledged the instrumental nature of the deans and said future cooperation by outside officials, such as the BPD, would be vital to the expansion of Hoosier P.A.C.T.

He said he hopes to increase the jurisdiction of the policy to the city and even state level, and believes it will make a strong statement and serve as a launching pad for future levels of approval.

“We’ve done everything we can do at the university level right now,”
Kingsolver said.