The recent death of Indiana University freshman Rachael Fiege should be a sobering experience for college students across the nation.
Fiege fell down a flight of stairs at an off-campus party in Bloomington last Friday night and sustained a fatal head injury. Though she fell at around 1 a.m., her friends did not call the police until 8 a.m. At that point Fiege was already unresponsive.
This tragedy highlights an Indiana state law that cannot be stressed enough: the Lifeline Law. The law, which is also known as Enrolled Act 274, promises immunity to underaged students seeking help for alcohol-related issues. Last fall, Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Indiana State Senator Jim Merritt toured college and high school campuses, including DePauw, in an effort to educate the young Indiana population on the law. The bill was signed into a law well over a year ago, however, many college students still remain unaware of it.
While we applaud the steps that state lawmakers have made in implementing this law, we believe that it falls short. Although the caller is ensured immunity, the Lifeline Law does not promise this immunity to the ill underaged drinker. Consequences should be put into place for the underaged consumer, but one should also recognize that such consequences may deter the drinker’s friends from calling the authorities.
On a small campus where reputations are significant, underage student drinkers may desire to preserve their ill friend’s good name and character. They also may desire to protect their friend from acquiring a Class C misdemeanor – one that carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.
We believe there should be consequences for underage drinkers, but that perhaps there are more constructive solutions than the aforementioned. Going to the hospital should not be treated as a crime, but as an error in judgment. Perhaps rather than slapping a fine on this mistake, steps should be taken to understand how to correct the action and prevent a similar mistake from happening again.
While the system may contain some flaws and some unfortunate repercussions at the time – this is law and we’re not above it. No consequence is worse than death.