Alcohol sanctions welcomed, scorned

By Dan Nienaber
The Free Press

MANKATO September 08, 2008 12:28 am

— New alcohol-related sanctions at Minnesota State University, which have been welcomed by Mankato police, are being opposed by the university’s Student Senate.
Students arrested for sex assaults and some other serious crimes off campus have faced on-campus sanctions in the past, said Mary Dowd, MSU director of student rights and responsibilities. New this year, however, is that students cited for underage drinking off campus during a series of weekend police sweeps will face sanctions as well.
A first offense results in academic probation, an alcohol and drug assessment, a mandatory two-hour alcohol education class and a $50 fee to cover costs. A second offense results in a four-hour class and a $100 fee. A third violation could result in being evicted from the dorms if the student lives on campus and a suspension or expulsion from school.
They’re the same sanctions students have faced if they were caught drinking on campus. The changes are being made, in part, because several high-profile incidents involving alcohol, dating back to an alcohol-fueled riot during MSU’s 2003 homecoming weekend, have brought negative publicity for the university, Dowd said.
“The thinking behind this is students are members of the university and their behavior reflects on the university, no matter where they are,” she said.
During its meeting last week, the Minnesota State Student Association opposed the change with a unanimous vote. The student-elected association is only a consulting body for university policies, so the vote won’t affect the procedural change.
Ryan Anderson, association president, said students are as concerned as everyone is about binge drinking and other alcohol-related events that brought attention to the university. But he also pointed out that MSU students aren’t the only young people in Mankato responsible for the problems police are seeing.
He suggested having the city require education classes for anyone cited for underage drinking.
“If they feel that would cut back on high-risk drinking, then do it for everyone not just MSU students,” Anderson said. “If it’s important for MSU students, it should be important for other drinkers in the community.”
The university receives a list of names of all the people cited for underage drinking during the weekend police sweeps, then identifies MSU students on the list.
A total of 126 people were cited for underage drinking between Aug. 19 and 25. Of those cited, 73 were MSU students and 53 were not.
During similar sweeps last year, just under half of the people cited were MSU students.
The university also is concerned about young working people who are drinking underage, Dowd said. Those people often live in houses near the university or downtown and are hosting underage drinking parties.
“There are certain pockets in the city where there is partying, and they are not all students,” she said. “They are throwing parties that are a temptation for students.
“We would like to see those people educated, too. They’re part of a pattern of high-risk drinking. It’s a community problem.”
Any citywide sanctions for underage drinkers would have to be implemented by the court system, said Jerry Huettl, Mankato Department of Public Safety director. He said he would support education programs for everyone cited if the programs were effective.
The number of people being cited for underage drinking during the police sweeps has been down this year, Huettl said. That could be due, in part, to a reduction in funding that has resulted in fewer officers being on patrol.
“But I think there’s also a message out there,” he said.
Officers are still seeing underage drinkers with dangerous alcohol levels, however, Huettl added.
A 19-year-old woman was found passed out in Mankato’s downtown entertainment district the first weekend after school was in session. She had been using a friend’s identification card to get into downtown bars. Her blood alcohol-concentration was .325, a potentially deadly level that is four times the legal limit for driving.
A 20-year-old man also was found wandering around Florence Street during the early-morning hours, Huettl said. He didn’t know where he was and had a blood-alcohol concentration well over .20.
“We’re concerned about everybody who is placing themselves in this kind of danger,” Huettl said.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.