Amnesty bill passed in state senate

A new bill could challenge Pitt’s longstanding stance against an amnesty policy.

The… A new bill could challenge Pitt’s longstanding stance against an amnesty policy.

The Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously passed legislation last week that would provide legal amnesty for minors if they call emergency services to help another intoxicated person who needs medical attention.

Senate Bill 448, sponsored by State Sen. John Rafferty,R-Montgomery, would grant immunity to a minor who, when underage drinking is involved, calls 911 for a friend who needs emergency services.

The only stipulation is that the caller must provide his or her first and last name to the 911 operator and must stay with the person until paramedics arrive. The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

Pitt has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to underage drinking, and in the past has declined to implement an amnesty policy. Currently, the University’s policy does not address the issue of underage students seeking medical attention for intoxication. Underage students who are caught drinking by Pitt police are subject to criminal citations and University judicial sanctions, according to the Student Code of Conduct.

In 2009, 11 students were given campus disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations — four of which took place at on-campus facilities — and 108 were arrested by the Pitt police, according to the Pitt police’s crime report. It did not specify the ages of the students.

Alex Zimmerman, an SGB Board member, met with Pitt’s Alcohol Task Force in March to discuss possibly implementing a school amnesty policy.

Zimmerman, along with two other SGB board members, met with the task force and other Pitt administrators to discuss Pitt’s alcohol policy.

Zimmerman said that the meeting — which discussed the policy that affects the entire student body — was confidential and couldn’t speak about it. But he did have an opinion as a student on the new legislation and the effects it would have on campus.

Speaking on behalf of himself and not the Board, Zimmerman said that he is really interested in the new legislation that would require colleges and universities to take student health seriously.

“One reason I’m interested in this project is because I think alcohol policies aren’t reflective of the realities of drinking on campus and student health concerns,” he said.

Zimmerman said that he thinks students shouldn’t necessarily have to be concerned with legal ramifications from the police if they are seeking help for a medical emergency.

Unlike Pitt, Carnegie Mellon and Temple University both have amnesty policies in place for students who seek medical attention after drinking underage.

CMU’s Emergency Medical Service website says students should not to let the fear of getting someone in trouble prevent them from getting medical help for a friend.

Its Alcohol Medical Assistance Procedure, or amnesty policy, states that students who are given medical attention for alcohol intoxication will receive amnesty from university administrative disciplinary action and university police action.

Likewise, the student who calls university police or the EMS for the intoxicated student will also be granted amnesty if the student remains with the intoxicated person until medical help arrives.

Pitt spokesman John Fedele declined to comment on the new legislation and what it would mean for Pitt.

Dr. Donald Yealy, the chair of the department of emergency medicine at Pitt, said that Pitt’s emergency services never call the police specifically for an underage drinker unless another event, such as aggressive behavior, is involved, or if people need transport home.

He said that emergency services contacting police is a “false urban myth” based on students telling part of a story.

“We’re not in the business of identifying underage drinking. We’re not in the law enforcement business, and we don’t want to be,” Yealy said.

Rafferty, who has also been the author of tougher laws to prevent underage drinking, said on his website that the purpose of this new legislation is “to protect public safety and prevent needless tragedy.”

“Underage drinking is a serious matter, and we don’t want to give minors a free pass,” Rafferty said on his website. “But if kids are in trouble and need medical attention, we don’t want to discourage those who can help them from seeking assistance.”

Zimmerman agrees with Rafferty.

“There isn’t a whole lot of data available to me of whether or not Pitt police are citing a lot of underages that would fall under an amnesty policy if we had one,” he said. “But there are a lot of stories that really make it clear that students are afraid of contacting the police or medical services if one of their friends is experiencing an alcohol emergency.”