CARE cases are cause for change on campus

By SARAH SMITH
Assistant Editor

With the recent cases of underage intoxicated students being taken to Creighton Alcohol Recovery and Education, the Creighton community is working to help prevent these incidents from happening again.

As reported in the campus Public Safety Report, seven intoxicated students were taken from Kiewit and Swanson halls to CARE during the weekend of Sept. 8. Last week, two intoxicated students were taken from Kiewit and Gallagher halls to CARE. On Sunday, two more students were taken from Swanson to CARE.

Wayne Young, associate director of Residence Life, said things are being done to educate students about the dangers of underage and binge drinking.

Mandatory meetings were held in Kiewit and Gallagher last week. Kathleen Warner, director of Peer Education; Sr. Annette Schmeling, associate vice president for Student Learning; and hall resident directors answered questions and spoke to students about alcohol use.

Posters with information about alcohol poisoning symptoms and how to care for intoxicated individuals were posted in residence halls. Wallet-sized cards were included on the posters for students to tear off. Magnets with information about alcohol poisoning also were given to resident advisers, and an alcohol poisoning response kit and DVD are available in the Resource Library for resident advisers to use in floor programs.

Warner also will meet with resident directors about more alcohol education programs.

Erin Korpiel, Arts & Sciences freshman and Kiewit resident, said she still thinks alcohol will be an issue for students.

“There’s no getting around the fact that there will still be drinking on campus, and I doubt that policies, assemblies or different rules in the dorms will keep students from drinking,” Korpiel said.

Young said students also need to be responsible if they choose to consume alcohol.

“There’s a limit to what we can do without being their [students’] parents,” Young said.

He also said that Creighton will continue to have activities like the Gettin’ Blue Barbecue to serve as alternatives to drinking for students.

Katy Spratte, Arts & Sciences freshman and Kiewit resident, said that promoting alcohol-alternative activities could be helpful.

“Our floor actually had a movie night one Saturday night that was alcohol-free, and we got free pop and pizza because of it,” Spratte said.

Young said he hopes underage students make smart choices about drinking.

“My hope would be that folks choose not to drink underage,” Young said. “But if they do choose to drink underage, my hope is that they choose to moderate, moderate, moderate.”

Korpiel said the recent CARE cases may make some students think twice before drinking but will not stop all students from drinking too much.

“We would all hope that having people sent to CARE because they have stopped breathing or have passed out would make others stop to think that what they are doing is harmful to their bodies and to other people, but, unfortunately, I don’t think simply having a large number of CARE cases is going to be enough for some people,” she said.

Young said CARE is a vital service.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am that we have that,” he said.