Medical Amnesty Policy
Student health and safety is of prime importance at Denison University. Where a person’s ingestion of alcohol or other drugs results in extreme intoxication or other medical emergency, the college encourages the individual, or others acting on the person’s behalf, to seek immediate medical help. If an individual actively seeks medical help, the university will not initiate disciplinary action under the Code of Student Conduct for violation of expectations relating to alcohol or drug consumption. Additionally, students who assist intoxicated students in obtaining help will not be subject to disciplinary action for their own alcohol or drug consumption. In lieu of disciplinary action, the student who was intoxicated, and in some cases the referring student(s), will meet with the Coordinator of Alcohol, Drug, and Health Education to discuss the incident. The coordinator may require the student to complete educational assignments, such as reflective writing exercises, alcohol and drug education, or completion of a substance use assessment in Counseling Services. The student will be responsible for any costs that are associated with alcohol or drug interventions that may be required outside of Denison University. Amnesty will be granted upon completion of any educational assignments or referrals.
Failure to meet with the coordinator or to complete assignments will normally result in the matter being decided under the Code of Student Conduct. The Medical Amnesty policy does not grant amnesty for a student’s possession of drugs with intent to distribute and does not preclude disciplinary action due to other violations of the Code of Student Conduct that are not related to expectations regarding alcohol or drug consumption (e.g. damage to property, fire safety violations, etc.). Likewise, the policy does not prevent action by police or other law enforcement personnel.
Application to Student Organizations/Groups
In circumstances where an organization is found to be hosting an event where medical help is sought for a member or guest, the organization (depending on the circumstances) may be held responsible for violating expectations relating to alcohol or drug consumption. However, the organization’s willingness to seek medical help for a member or guest will be viewed as a mitigating factor in determining any sanctions that may be issued for violations.