IU alcohol law urges students to call for assistance

University policy protects students from alcohol consumption-related disciplinary action just as Indiana’s Lifeline Law provides legal amnesty.
The Hoosier Proactive Alcohol Care Treatment was enacted in spring 2012 as a precursor to the Lifeline Law, Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith said. Both of the policies were proposed to decrease the number of alcohol-related deaths in Indiana.
According to the Indiana Department of Health, more than two dozen Indiana residents age 21 and younger have died due to alcohol-related health issues since 2004.
If students call for alcohol-based medical assistance for a friend or fellow student and cooperate with officials, they are immune from alcohol consumption-related charges from the IU Police Department under the PACT policy.
According to a manual regarding safe partying issued by IU Student Legal Services, the Office of the Dean of Students can impose penalties for violations of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct.
These penalties range from reprimands and warnings to expulsion from the University.
But the Hoosier PACT policy also protects students from these sanctions provided they meet certain requirements, such as completion of an alcohol and substance-related education program.
Student organizations calling on behalf of a student are also exempt from University sanctions.
Both the PACT policy and the Lifeline Law were implemented to encourage students who would otherwise be reluctant to call law enforcement to call, IU Student Association Chief of Staff said in an email.
Flanigan said she would encourage students to call for medical assistance because of the effect the call could have.
“The repercussions will be less severe if you call than if you do not,” she said. “Trust your gut, and do the right thing. What could be more important than saving someone’s life?”
The Indiana Lifeline Law was authored by Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis, after student associations from across the state — including IU, Purdue University and the University of Southern Indiana — lobbied for amnesty for students who called the police in the event that a fellow student was in need of medical assistance.
The law does not offer immunity from other offenses, such as providing alcohol to a minor, operating a vehicle while intoxicated or possession of a controlled substance.
Goldsmith, who worked with IUSA to pass the law, said the goal of the law is to prevent further student deaths and encourage students to help others who they believe require medical assistance.
“We hope to build this culture that says that we take care of each other and that when we see a fellow student in distress or in danger, we act,” he said. “We want to give students the tools and mechanisms to do that.”
Goldsmith said students should call in any situation in which they feel a fellow student requires medical assistance.
Once a student calls for an ambulance, he or she is required to stay with the incapacitated individual until assistance arrives and he or she can provide information. Otherwise, Goldsmith said, the situation becomes confusing because the official does not know the circumstances of the situation.
“It’s not a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card,” he said. “If there are other things going on or if a student is not cooperative or if there are other crimes being committed, it does not exclude those.”
“Err on the side of caution, and if you’re concerned, make the call,” Goldsmith said. “It’s better to call than not because you could save a life.”