2008 Woodie Awards
Amnesty policy fight to continue
Kevin Robillard
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: News
Newly elected student members of the University Senate yesterday vowed to grant new life to a policy that would mitigate punishments for underage drinkers on thecampus.
After the senate's Executive Committee decided to the put the issue on hold this semester as faculty members called for more research, many new student senators said they planned to push for a policy that would prevent the university officials from punishing drunk underage students who call 911 for a friend suffering from alcohol poisoning.
Though the 23 undergraduate students elected Wednesday will represent a minority of the body, the students have already called to galvanize into an organized bloc; adding the initiative commonly referred to as Good Samaritan policy will be a top priority.
Kevin Tervela, a university senate member, said he hoped to work with faculty to "change the misconceptions about the policy."
The policy was bolstered by Student Government Association earlier in the week when the group decided to explore Good Samaritan with a ballot referendum. When the SGA conducted its last referendum in 2005, 65 percent of the 4,376 students who participated said they supported more lenient penalties on marijuana violationsand administrators responded.
Tervala, who also serves in the SGA, said he hoped the effort would gain traction next year with support from both the SGA and the senate.
Last month, the SGA recommended university administrators adopt a Good Samaritan policy, but as the university's most powerful legislative body, the senate would have a more decisive say.
"I've been working real hard on this initiative in the SGA, I just can't understand why it's gone nowhere in the senate," Tervala said in an e-mail.
But Brad Docherty, who won the business school's senate election, pointed out the numbers in the senate don't stack in favor of students, who have advocated most for the policy this year.
"We're definitely at a big disadvantage in terms of representation," said Docherty, who is also the SGA vice president.
After the senate's Executive Committee decided to the put the issue on hold this semester as faculty members called for more research, many new student senators said they planned to push for a policy that would prevent the university officials from punishing drunk underage students who call 911 for a friend suffering from alcohol poisoning.
Though the 23 undergraduate students elected Wednesday will represent a minority of the body, the students have already called to galvanize into an organized bloc; adding the initiative commonly referred to as Good Samaritan policy will be a top priority.
Kevin Tervela, a university senate member, said he hoped to work with faculty to "change the misconceptions about the policy."
The policy was bolstered by Student Government Association earlier in the week when the group decided to explore Good Samaritan with a ballot referendum. When the SGA conducted its last referendum in 2005, 65 percent of the 4,376 students who participated said they supported more lenient penalties on marijuana violationsand administrators responded.
Tervala, who also serves in the SGA, said he hoped the effort would gain traction next year with support from both the SGA and the senate.
Last month, the SGA recommended university administrators adopt a Good Samaritan policy, but as the university's most powerful legislative body, the senate would have a more decisive say.
"I've been working real hard on this initiative in the SGA, I just can't understand why it's gone nowhere in the senate," Tervala said in an e-mail.
But Brad Docherty, who won the business school's senate election, pointed out the numbers in the senate don't stack in favor of students, who have advocated most for the policy this year.
"We're definitely at a big disadvantage in terms of representation," said Docherty, who is also the SGA vice president.
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Legacy of progress
posted 4/03/08 @ 7:45 PM EST
The fact that the Good Samaritan Policy did not become a reality this year is not significant. What is significant is the continually increasing awareness and cohesion of the student body in favor of these types of policies. (Continued…)
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