Univ. Senate approves Good Samaritan policy

Students who once feared punishment from the university will soon be able to call for medical help if they or their friends are dangerously intoxicated, thanks to a near-unanimous University Senate vote yesterday.

The senate, which has debated the issue of recommending a Good Samaritan policy at this university for nearly four years, voted to approve a concrete policy that effectively protects students from university sanctions if they call 911 in alcohol-related emergency situations.

When the policy was first introduced for debate a few years ago, it encountered significant resistance from members of the senate and administration. But yesterday's vote showed a notable turnaround: 78 senators voted in favor and only one opposed.

Before the policy becomes official, university President Wallace Loh, who has expressed support for the initiative, must sign the proposal. In so doing, the Good Samaritan policy, which will take on the name of the protocol it aims to supersede, would replace the Promoting Responsible Action for Medical Emergencies Protocol that has been in effect since spring 2009.

Unlike the policy endorsed today, the protocol could be applied at the discretion of Office of Student Conduct Director John Zacker, meaning some could be subject to university punishments. When the protocol was voted on by the senate in April 2009, it, too, passed with only one opposing vote.

Nan Ratner, who chairs the committee that has drafted every version of the protocol and policy, said even though the vote was long overdue, it was worth waiting for.

"Anything that's that important is worth doing the right way, so that there can be no legal challenges to it, so that it solves the ‘perception' problem, and there were just a lot of things that had to happen," she said after the meeting. "The obvious question is going to be: ‘Why do you need the change?' And that's what it took the longest period of time to do. I think it's doing its job, and I think it took a while to do it right."

Before the body voted on the proposed policy, several pledged their support for the bill and told senators a vote for the Good Samaritan policy equated to a vote for the health and safety of students.

"I urge everyone to vote for this," staff senator Alan Holmes said. "I have been a firefighter and paramedic in this county for 33 years. I have run calls on this campus for students that have had alcohol overdoses. I've had to transport them to the hospital; I know what they're going through. You need to pass this. It needs to go through today."

In her opening remarks, Ratner said adopting a policy was crucial to the health and well-being of students on the campus, even if it only helps one person.

"If adoption of this recommended policy prevents one unnecessary student death or injury or saves one single parent the grief of having their child receive help too late, it will have achieved its goal," she said.

Zach Cohen, an undergraduate student senator, said the policy's benefits outweigh other concerns that have been voiced in the past, such as its potential to serve as justification for students to act out of control.

"We have the potential to possibly save lives and help students today," he said. "Any other concerns that could be brought up are really unsubstantial considering what we can do to help students."

Undergraduate student senator Lisa Crisalli, who worked with Zacker to draft the final version of the policy, said adopting it would improve the overall health of the campus.

"What we have before us is the opportunity to codify a protocol that puts health first, that offers students who have found themselves in a dangerous situation a receptive hand to reach for," she said. "It has taken years of work for us to reach this point, and today I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish."

As senators silently cast their votes, the tension in the room was palpable. Students sat with bated breath, waiting for the results. Several, after seeing the overwhelming numbers appear on the projector screen, stood and applauded the senate's decision.

Alumna Stacia Cosner, who first introduced the idea of adopting such a policy to members of the senate in 2007, was almost at a loss for words after the votes were cast.

"I'm really thrilled," she said, as tears welled up in her eyes. "This is really wonderful. I couldn't be happier."

Although the senate has deemed the matter resolved, some students said yesterday's vote was merely another step in a fight that is far from over.

Yakov Kronrod, a graduate student senator, said students and faculty still need to modify the policy to protect students who have overdosed on drugs as well — in its written form, the policy only applies to alcohol-related incidents.

"I want to make it clear that I don't support limiting [the policy] to what it states now," he said before the vote. "I hope that once it's in place, we can take the next step of action and do what I think we should have been doing all along."

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