Freshmen arrived Aug. 18 with bags and books in tow, but also came with differing expectations.

Freshmen had mixed expectations on the alcohol policy and how it is enforced.

“I thought (the alcohol policy) was going to be enforced a lot more than it actually is,” freshman Jordan Reisman said.

Reisman said the one measure that he did not expect was the excise police.

Taking a look back at the previous year, sophomore Christina Perry, a resident assistant in Schwitzer Hall, said the message has changed from last year to this year.

“With the Red Cup Culture  video as a freshman, I didn’t really feel like they were giving off that it’s not okay if you drink,” Perry said. “But if you’re going to drink, it’s your choice, and we want you to be safe.”

She said that posters serve as a reminder that you need to be 21 to consume. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be drinking.

Freshman Elaine Coughlin, said she did not expect the policy enforcement.

“Everyone is talking about these undercover cops,” she said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that intense.”

Similar to Coughlin, freshman Abby Krabacher said, “I thought it was going to be a lot more relaxed.”

Assistant Chief of Police Andrew Ryan, said the policy depends on what students should expect.

“We respond to student behavior specifically as it relates to drug and alcohol use,” Ryan said. “We would respond to their behavior and then take the appropriate steps to make sure that the student is safe.”

Ryan said there have been some changes from previous years.

“We’ve been a little more strict in interpreting behaviors and issuing summons arrests along with the student affairs report,”  Ryan said.

Butler University Police Department has issued five summons arrests in September and made one custodial arrest this month. State excise police have made 10 summons arrests.

“The crackdown is a little bit excessive,” freshman Laurent Dupuis said.

In regard to the rest of the year, Ryan said, “We will adjust our staffing needs as needed, so there may be certain times of the year that you may see more officers working.”

A new sanctioning guideline for conduct violations has the power to prohibit students from participating in some campus activities.

Students who are cited for alcohol-related violations could potentially be prohibited from leadership positions on campus as well as from formal recruitment for sororities and fraternities.

“We didn’t think that the old policy was tough enough,” said Irene Stevens, dean of student life.

The policy was created by the conduct violations task force consisting of Butler University students, faculty and staff.

“If you commit a conduct violation, student affairs prefers that you not be a role model on campus,” Stevens said. “While rushing a sorority or fraternity is not a role-model position, it is a privilege.”

However, the new guidelines are not as extreme as rumors may suggest.

Stevens said that student affairs will look at every case individually. Prior offenses, the offense itself and other pertinent aspects will all be taken into consideration.

Stevens said that, in most cases, students will not be placed on probation for their first offenses.

“Educational sanctions will be the first course of action,” Stevens said. “This could mean taking a class or an all-day workshop.”

If the student needs to be arrested or is sent to the hospital, however, then student affairs may place the student on probation, Stevens said.

According to student affairs, the students on the conduct task force were the ones leading the charge to add formal recruitment to the list of possible sanctions.

“The students thought that adding formal recruitment to the list would give it more teeth,” Stevens said.

Junior Jordan Ludwig, women’s recruitment counselor and sorority member, agreed with the policy.

“Honestly, I think it’s a good thing,” she said. “But I do think this will affect guys more than girls.”

Freshman thought that they were not properly informed on the change in conduct violations.

“I think it’s stupid,” freshman Kelli Linsenmayer said. “I don’t like that they just started it and didn’t really warn us about it.

“We only heard about it in Red Cup Culture. I don’t think the policy will keep people from partying.”

Freshman Lindsay Byers said she understands the motive but doesn’t feel she was briefed well on the new guidelines.

“It makes sense for what they’re trying to do, but it’s not fair that they weren’t upfront about it,” Byers said. “It’s still pretty unclear to me.”

Students will receive a second chance to participate in rush the following year if they have no new violations, Stevens said.

Ben Hunter, chief of staff and executive director of public safety, explained the reasoning behind this policy from a public safety standpoint.

“We still see high blood alcohol levels on this campus, which is concerning,” Hunter said. “I think it’s good that we’re finding new ways to send a message.

“When it comes down to it, the law is the law,” Hunter said. “You must be 21 to drink. There are consequences to breaking this law, whether it’s a fine, jail time or being placed on probation from participating in campus groups.”

Stevens said that the motive behind the new policy is the safety and well-being of students.

“We just want to encourage students to find other things to do than drink,” Stevens said. “You don’t have to drink to have fun at Butler. Use good judgment in how you choose to have fun.”

Published Aug. 29, 2012

With Indiana officials looking to crack down on underage and high-risk alcohol consumption on college campuses, the atmosphere of Butler University is changing.

An alcohol task force, comprised of Butler students and faculty from numerous departments, was created during the 2011-12 academic year.

Curbing Illegal Drinking on Butler’s Campus
For the start of this academic year, the group has come up with multiple recommendations to help school administrators and the Butler University Police Department curb problem and illegal drinking.

“I think (the task force) is the best type of approach because you’re getting multiple perspectives,” said Levester Johnson, vice president for student affairs. “But it’s most important to involve students because they can take direct ownership of this as well.”

Irene Stevens, dean of student life and co-chair of the task force, said the recommendations made by the task force cover three areas of concern: alcohol education, enforcement of alcohol laws and sanctioning of those who break alcohol laws.

Changes in Policy
However, it is uncertain whether these recommendations are being treated as changes to Butler’s alcohol policy.

Johnson said that changes were being made to the policy while Stevens said the policy itself will be reviewed during this semester and has not yet been changed.

Sarah Barnes Diaz, health education and outreach programs coordinator and co-chair of the task force, said that the confusion lies with the semantics of the phrase “changes to the policy.”

“The recommendations are what we’re now enacting,” Diaz said. “So within that, there are some shifts in policy and some changes in the student handbook.”

Sending the Right Message
Sally Click, dean of student services, said in an email to The Collegian that a major point in the task force’s discussion was the message the university was sending about alcohol.

To that effect, posters are displayed around campus to make clear to all students that the drinking age in Indiana is 21.

Additionally, Stevens said an online module was created to educate new students about alcohol, drugs and sexual assault and that all new students were asked to complete the module prior to the start of classes.

Diaz said the school’s Red Cup Culture program also needed revisions.

“In the past, the focus of Red Cup Culture was very much on the consumption of alcohol being a personal choice,” Diaz said. “It almost sends the wrong message and gives permission, so we sliced some of that out of the video.”

Diaz said members of the task force felt that education on high-risk drinking and alcohol poisoning was necessary as well.

In addition, new students were prohibited from entering Greek houses before Aug. 27 so they would participate in planned Welcome Week activities, Click said.

A member of the Greek community, who wished to remain anonymous because of fraternity policy to limit the members that can speak to the media, said this policy was helpful.

“We can really get to know kids versus putting them in a social scene they’re not familiar with,” the individual said.

Changing How BU Enforces Rules
The task force also made recommendations with regard to enforcement of alcohol laws and changes to sanctioning, but a higher power has also had a hand in making sure laws are being followed.

The Indiana State Excise Police is a unit of the Alcohol Tobacco Commission that sends undercover police officers to Indiana colleges.

When at colleges, the officers can attend parties and other gatherings where underage drinking may be occurring and ask students for a form of identification.

Stevens said she expects the excise police force to be on campus more this academic year than in recent years. This is partly due to the creation of the Intensified College Enforcement program, which is using Indiana’s excise police to try to cut down on underage drinking.

Former governor Mitch Daniels also passed the Indiana Lifeline Law earlier this year.

According to the Indiana Lifeline Coalition’s website, the law provides immunity from some alcohol violations to those who request medical assistance or have it requested for them.

The task force has suggested that BUPD be more consistent in alcohol policy enforcement, in addition to utilizing a summons arrest in appropriate situations.

A summons arrest is a ticket for public intoxication that requires the offender to appear in court, Stevens said.

This differs from an outright arrest, which sees an offender be put in handcuffs by a police offer, and a the more rare warrant arrest, which allows police to arrest a person of interest with regard to a crime.

Ben Hunter, chief of staff and executive director of public safety, said recent alcohol incidents on Indiana campuses are causing BUPD to be stricter in handing on summons arrests.

Hunter said two under-21 students encountered by BUPD last week had ‘extremely high’ blood alcohol content levels and were example cases for a summons arrest. One student was unresponsive and the other suffered injuries from a fall.

“My preference is when we can do a referral because I don’t want to ruin resumes,” Hunter said. “But at the same time, if we find someone with alcohol poisoning or, worst-case scenario, dead, there’s going to be all kinds of scrutiny.”

The alcohol policy section of Butler’s student handbook includes state penalties for specific alcohol-related crimes, which can range from fines up to $1,000 to jail time.

Separate from fines and arrests are sanctions imposed by the university, which have also been altered.

Click said fines for breaking alcohol laws have been rejected in favor of a community restoration project, which involves individuals giving back to the Butler community in some way.

An individual who has a major alcohol violation or accumulates multiple minor ones can also be put on conduct probation, which keeps the individual from participating in Greek recruitment and from holding a number of leadership positions on campus.

Click also said that 75 to 80 percent of student conduct cases over the last several years have involved alcohol or drugs. Some sanctions in those cases included alcohol or drug assessment and attendance at an in-house alcohol seminar.

“I think it’s a really good practice to take stock of where we’re at, and that’s what the task force did,” Diaz said.

Students React to Coming Changes
A level of anxiety seems to be felt by students toward the changes, the Greek member said.

“(The changes) add a layer of fear and pressure,” the individual said. “We’re under pressure to do everything right, but ultimately it’s for our safety.”

While the success of the task force’s recommendations cannot be fully examined until more time has passed, Diaz said she believes the university is handling alcohol issues in the correct manner.

“I’m confident that this is the way to go,” Diaz said. “I think that over time, we can shift the culture away from high-risk drinking.”

There is a nightmare situation that no Butler University student wants to suffer through.

A friend drinks too much, and making one phone call  to the police could save his or her life. Although, it could also end in spending the night in a drunk tank.

The Indiana Senate recently unanimously passed a bill that, if signed, could become a medical amnesty law.

The law would grant legal immunity to students who call emergency services for alcohol poisoning if the calling student follows certain rules.

We at The Butler Collegian believe that this law could save lives and encourage students to be more careful in general.

The bill requires the caller to identify him or herself on the phone, they must have called about a medical emergency and must cooperate with police and EMTs.

Students who believe a peer is suffering from alcohol poisoning can call without fear of alcohol-related felony or misdemeanor charges if they follow the rules.

Backed by representatives of Indiana and Purdue Universities among others, Senate Bill 274 tries to give those afraid of legal backlash a “way out” when they call emergency services.

Cornell University published a study in 2006 that showed that, under “medical amnesty” laws like this, alcohol-related emergency calls dramatically incresaed but did not show a corresponding spike in alcohol consumption.

So, no more people are drinking, but more are calling.

This seems to indicate that the law can save lives.

The law also doesn’t keep responsibility from the students entirely.

They may receive citations and other repercussions but are free from criminal charges related to alcohol consumption, possession and public intoxication.

The ill student may still be charged for alcohol-related violations.

The legislation also indirectly encourages more responsible behavior another way, since the caller is required to identify himself or herself and be present to cooperate with responders.

This way, the ill person is not left  to mercies of nature or others.

Butler University has always done a good job of stressing alcohol safety. Red Cup Culture, the alcohol information presentations sponsored by Butler University Health Education, points out that the Butler University Police Department is more concerned with keeping students alive than arresting them.

Yet students may still have concerns about calling the police.

While underage drinking is nothing new, it is still a crime and it is sometimes hard to remember that calling was the right choice while spending the evening with police officers.

So, even if BUPD refers cases to student affairs, the law puts in writing what students hope for.

Medical amnesty acts like a safety net, giving attention to those who need it most.

The medical amnesty bill will reach the Indiana House of Representatives in the coming. weeks, and we hope they pass it.