Letter to the Editor 9/21

To the editor,

The Pitt News deserves praise for its efforts in exposing the University of… To the editor,

The Pitt News deserves praise for its efforts in exposing the University of Pittsburgh’s dangerous zero-tolerance alcohol policy — a policy that everyone except decision makers at Pitt recognize as a serious threat to student health.

As student anecdotes and interviews confirm, the University’s publicly-stated willingness to cite students for underage drinking in the emergency room of UPMC Presbyterian deters students from seeking medical attention while underage and under the influence of alcohol. While most students value their lives and the lives of their friends too much to not seek or not help someone seek medical attention even if it means a citation, it is an obvious danger that just one student, fearing a citation, will not make the right decision and someone will die.

To be clear, in enforcing this policy, the University of Pittsburgh is putting student lives at risk.

Based on our research at The Publius Foundation and on accounts published by The Pitt News, we believe that the University should instruct police officers not to issue underage drinking citations on the grounds of UPMC Presbyterian. Furthermore, in order to inform students of this change and signal to students that it is possible to seek medical attention without facing legal penalties for consuming alcohol underage, we believe that the University should publicly announce this new policy on its website and via email to all students. We are currently circulating a petition to this effect.

Giles Howard

President

The Publius Foundation