Penn Staters have historically expressed pride in the university's reputation as a party school. But with the consequences attached to the thriving alcohol culture, it's time now more than ever that efforts advance toward the adoption of a medical amnesty policy, at the very least.
The University Park Undergraduate Association is moving in the right direction with the passing of its Medical Amnesty Policy last Wednesday. The policy would allow Penn State students to seek help from the police or medical professionals in the event of another's intoxication, without fear of citations or other repercussions.
In the next step of the process, Director of University Relations Chairman Chris Smith will attempt to implement the policy into the substance abuse policies of the university and State College Borough.
This is an issue that especially affects the university, as so many students living on campus are freshmen and/or under the legal drinking age of 21. The proposal would not legitimize or assist in underage drinking, and it can give some students confidence in seeking necessary care. We hope that the university will accommodate the proposal with its alcohol policies.
On the flip side, while the idea of medical amnesty has merit, we acknowledge that this policy does not get to the root of the problem of rampant alcohol abuse on campus. Instead, it mostly just puts a Band-Aid on the issue.
However, for the time being, the policy can help those who have gone overboard from facing serious medical danger. It's hard to argue against helping a student in need, even if that student could have been more responsible. The program is generally helpful as a last resort to help those in serious danger, and for that, it's a crucial addition to the legal systems of both the university and the borough.
But as UPUA attempts to push this policy through, it should explore different ideas on how to dig deeper to the root of the Penn State community's dangerous drinking problem. UPUA should constantly be trying to draft new solutions that address different stages of campus alcohol abuse all the way down the line, not simply at the worst case scenario.
For even as UPUA works toward the adoption of the medical amnesty policy, students across campus are still in real danger of risking their health by drinking too much. And that's not a problem that can be solved with one policy. Good start, UPUA; keep digging.
