Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Advertisements
Advertisements

Across Party Lines: United in support of the Responsible Action Bill

Imagine you are Jason, an economics major at University of Wisconsin. Your friend Jack is visiting from UW-Whitewater and you are determined to show him a good time. So far tonight has been pretty fun, filled with lots of laughs and catching up on high school drama. You start out with a few beers in your dorm room, then hear about a party off campus in the infamous “sophomore slums.” You arrive at the party and decide to play a few drinking games, and suddenly you both become a lot more social. The host of the party tells Jack that if he can finish six shots in a row, he’ll invite him to another party tomorrow night. Of course, Jack could not turn down the offer, and down went the six shots. Ten minutes later, the police arrive and the night takes a turn for the worse. The excessive amount of alcohol finally hits your friend and he begins vomiting on your way out of the party. Then, he passes out on the sidewalk.

You try everything you can to wake Jack up, and you are extremely worried about him, but he will not move. You consider calling an ambulance for Jack, but since you’re still off-campus, you could get an underage drinking ticket from the Madison police. There’s also the chance that you and Jack could get arrested. Out of fear and helplessness, you decide to leave Jack. Luckily for Jack, the police that arrived at the party soon find him and bring him to Detox, but the situation could have been much worse. Jack could have died.

Many college students refuse to realize the dangers of drinking, and like Jason, assume their friends will sleep off the effects of the alcohol and be OK in the morning, without police or medical intervention. The truth is that people can and do die from alcohol poisoning. As students at UW, a school found at the top of almost every “party school” ranking, many of us have found ourselves in situations similar to the hypothetical one above, playing either the role of Jason or Jack. While we, the College Democrats and the College Republicans, are not trying to discourage drinking altogether, we are instead making a stand for the safe consumption of alcohol.

Advertisements

In order to do this, safeguards for underage students who choose to drink are necessary to ensure collective safety at UW. All too often, students drink too much and are therefore in need of medical assistance. When drinking with friends, this can lead to an uncomfortable situation, ultimately ending in a friend having to make the challenging decision whether or not to get the police involved. If a friend does call and the Madison police answer the call instead of UW Police Department, the friend that called in could also face consequences, usually in the form of an underage drinking ticket.

In order to avoid the difficult choice between ensuring a friend’s safety and looking out for oneself, both the College Democrats and College Republicans of UW have come out in bipartisan support for a Responsible Action Bill that was presented by the Associated Students of Madison. This bill would prohibit Madison police from arresting and ticketing a student who is intoxicated alongside a friend that is in need of medical intervention and calls for help to protect their friend from alcohol poisoning. While the UWPD already has these restrictions, the Madison Police Department does not.

The Responsible Action Bill does not intend to incentivize underage drinking or create a loophole for irresponsible students, but instead encourages and helps students to make collective safety a priority. The College Democrats and the College Republicans agree that passing legislation that saves lives and makes our campus a safer place is vital to an enjoyable experience here at UW.

Advertisements
Leave a Comment
Donate to The Badger Herald

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Wisconsin-Madison. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Badger Herald

Comments (0)

All The Badger Herald Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *