The Putnam County hospital is no stranger to DePauw students, nor the contents of many of their stomachs.
In the last week Public Safety transported three DePauw students to Putnam County hospital for alcohol violations. One of those violations occurred at a fraternity house.
Usually in these types of cases, a hospitalized individual consumes alcohol at more than one location. In the case last week, the student was transported from a fraternity house to Putnam County hospital and the fraternity in question will mostly likely face consequences for the individual's actions.
This is not the first time this has happened. Often students drink too much, go out to the fraternities and find themselves in dangerous situations. In some instances these dangerous situations escalate, requiring medical attention and as a result fraternity members come into question.
Over Winter Term, Public Safety recorded seven alcohol violations that required hospitalization. Six of these calls came from first-year residence halls, which leads us to the conclusion that first-year students are struggling to drink in a safe way. Unsafe drinking is in itself a problem, but it is not our primary focus here.
What worries us more is the lack of accountability these students are displaying.
Students who receive alcohol violations and require hospitalization face their own set of struggles in dealing with legal consequences (granted that a student is under 21), or their own unhappy parents. But as far as Community Standards Committee repercussions there is little punishment beyond the slap on the wrist that is probation and required classes on safe drinking.
But when a student becomes overly intoxicated at a fraternity, another level of investigation comes into play. Whether or not a given organization contributed to an individual's blood alcohol level, the fraternity falls under investigation as soon as a member makes the call for help.
Requiring fraternities to essentially babysit guests in their homes is an unrealistic request. Visitors often consume alcohol prior to arriving at a fraternity. It is difficult for fraternity men to gauge how much a student has been drinking upon entering a fraternity chapter, and it can be challenging to determine how much guests are drinking once inside a house. When a fraternity member sees an individual who requires medical attention, unfortunately there is not a lot of motivation to call Public Safety if they know their house will face the consequences.
In Indiana, state law protects individuals under the age of 21 who call on behalf of a friend who has had too much to drink. Why does the same courtesy not extend to a fraternity that exhibits similar behavior? We understand there is a fundamental difference between an individual and an entity like a fraternity, but if an individual comes into your home and passes out on your couch because they drank too much, wouldn't you expect them to take the majority of the blame for their action?
We understand that all cases are different and that the university has a vested interest in asking tough questions in these cases. We just hope that students who engage in consuming alcohol consider the implications their actions may have on others as well as themselves.