Monday, October 5, 2009
Student Senate is looking to students for ways to improve current alcohol policies.
The alcohol sub-committee of the student rights committee began its Thursday-night meeting with the mission of creating a survey about the alcohol policies’ effectiveness.
Chairwoman Emily Williams, Overland Park graduate student, said the committee’s goal for the survey was to get feedback and input from the people the policies affected most — students.
“We are the only 100 percent student group looking at this issue,” she said, “so it’s important to know what the students want.”
Remaining meeting times and locations:
6:30 p.m. Thursday, 308 McCook — Burge Union
8:15 p.m. Oct. 22, Alderson — Kansas Union
7:00 p.m. Nov. 5, Jayhawk Room — Kansas Union
8:00 p.m. Nov. 12, Big 12 Room — Kansas Union
Williams said she wanted the survey to have 10 questions derived from five categories: consequence and enforcement of current policy, prevention, student housing, off-campus accountability and the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
During the meeting, 15 students and senators discussed current policies that may have adverse effects on safety.
Under the current amnesty policy, a student may call medical assistance for a friend with an alcohol-related emergency without having to worry about University consequences. The person needing assistance, however, is susceptible to punishment if in violation of any policies.
Student Senator Sameer Sharma, Overland Park senior, said this policy was weak.
He questioned its effectiveness because it still allowed for a sanction against the person needing medical assistance. He said he thought this could discourage friends from calling.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s a very useful policy. It doesn’t make much sense,” he said.
The committee also discussed AlcoholEdu, the online test students under the age of 22 must complete this fall. Kris Velasco, a Wamego freshman who took the test, said preventive education was less effective than suffering consequences.
“The alcohol education thing we had to do — everyone knows that already. Hearing it over and over again isn’t going to change their opinion,” he said. “And if you’re more focused on consequences, I think that’s where an actual effect will take place.”
Williams said different student groups would be surveyed to get a variety of demographics. The committee also considered administering the survey to all students. This, and whether the survey would be mandatory or optional, was still undecided at the end of the meeting.
Williams designated a separate meeting time on Oct. 22 to discuss alcohol policies in student housing because she said it was a major component of the committee’s tasks.
— Edited by Betsy Cutcliff
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Comments
Senate group reviews alcohol policies
It is true that in student housing, if medical assistance if called for you, it's an automatic write up. In fact, I believe it's a category in the list of offenses on the online incident report form. I agree with amnesty for any students who call for help for others, but I don't think it's necessary for the students who get the assistance. Such students are the ones most likely to need further intervention that they can receive after they meet with building staff.
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