Student government’s Legislative Affairs Committee discussed plans to advocate making a campus-wide policy to protect underage students who have been drinking from being punished after reporting an incident into a state law Monday.
Under the Responsible Action Policy, University Housing officials or UW-Madison police cannot take disciplinary action against an underage student who has been drinking for reporting an incident.
By making Responsible Action a statewide policy, Morgan Ray, the author of the proposal, hopes to protect people under 21 who may be afraid to seek medical assistance while dangerously intoxicated for fear of facing legal and monetary consequences.
“I’m just trying to get help when they need it, or for a friend, because obviously alcohol poisoning isn’t good,” Ray said.
In a poll recently sent out to the student body, over 53 percent of respondents did not know about the policy.
Despite the relative obscurity of the policy, in the first year of Responsible Action in 2011, the second-highest amount of people were admitted into detox.
But committee members said students on campus still fear repercussions stemming from calling an intoxicated friend in to detox. Ray hopes making Responsible Action a state law will eliminate the fear people under 21 might have of fines for underage drinking when they might need medical attention.
Ray said she expects tension from conservative Wisconsin Legislatures in attempting to implement the policy.
“Republicans like to think if they ignore something like drinking it is just not going to happen,” Ray said. “Somebody who needs medical attention, it doesn’t matter if they are 20 and three weeks away from turning 21 or if they are like a freshman or in high school. I think if they need medical attention they should be able to get help without the fear of tickets.”
