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To Call Or Not to Call 911
Has your classmate had one too many, or is he about to die?
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE STUDENTS WANT A GOOD SAMARITAN LAW ON THE BOOKS
Imagine attending a party in an off-campus apartment packed with fellow underage students. Downing ice-cold beers or something stiffer, everyone is having a good ol’ time—some more than others. Before you know it, your party-animal roommate regurgitates all the booze he’s guzzled along with the dinner he’d had with you a couple of hours earlier. Lying in a puddle of vomit, he’s pale and unconscious. You want to call 911 but have second thoughts: You don’t want to get him, yourself and the other underage partygoers in trouble.
By summoning emergency assistance, you could be arrested and also face disciplinary action at school. That would put your educational and career goals at risk. But not calling for help will jeopardize someone’s life. Tough choice, isn’t it? That’s why students at the University of New Hampshire are lobbying for a Good Samaritan, a/k/a medical amnesty, policy, which would shield from punishment anyone seeking help in an alcohol- or drug-related emergency involving an underage person. To muster further support and provide background information, advocates have utilized Facebook.
At the time this was written, the group “Bring a Good Samaritan Law to UNH” had enlisted almost 2,000 members, and more than 90 colleges and universities nationwide had implemented the policy. Passage of a statewide Good Samaritan Law has become a harder sell in the legislature since police raided a frat party in Bedford, New Hampshire, on October 30, 2009. Among those arrested for underage drinking was State Representative Brian Poznanski (D-Nashua), 20, a junior at St. Anselm College. As a result, Poznanski was dropped as the primary sponsor of a Good Samaritan bill drafted by Dartmouth College Democrats, who were unable to find a replacement in time for the House to vote on it in 2010.
Besides derailing legislation, Poznanski’s arrest bolstered sentiments that amnesty is more about protecting the reputations of underage informants who have been consuming alcoholic beverages or using drugs rather than the safety of young people in possible life-threatening situations. Ashley Rennebu, who chairs the UNH Student Senate’s Community Change Council, stresses that the underlying reason for granting medical amnesty is to make sure no one gets hurt or, even worse, dies: “If it’s going to save one person, make one person not think twice, that’s reason enough to get a policy implemented. I’ve been in a situation personally where I didn’t want to get a person in trouble but didn’t know what to do.”
Another supporter of a Good Samaritan policy is A.J. Coukos, who spent two years at Lehigh University before transferring to UNH. “At Lehigh, which has a medical amnesty policy, students aren’t reluctant to call for help,” Coukos said. “The University of New Hampshire would be unwise if it chooses to keep the status quo and not incorporate some kind of medical amnesty policy. The fact is some students who needed medical attention didn’t get it because other students didn’t call for help because they were afraid of the legal repercussions.” Like Rennebu, Coukos insists that amnesty is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for drunken students; it’s a don’t-wind-up-inthe- morgue card for students who are so intoxicated they could die. “The priority in this situation,” Coukos points out, “is the health of the incapacitated student.”
After considering the pros and cons, the Student Senate passed a resolution urging the Office of Conduct and Mediation to implement a Good Samaritan policy at UNH. “We look forward to further discussion on this,” announced Mark Rubinstein, vice-president of Student and Academic Services.
Samer Kalaf
Photo Credit: Edward P Kranich
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