Issue #11– October 10, 2008
PASSING OUT DOESN'T MEAN SLEEPING IT OFF
Signs and Symptoms:
• Unconscious or semi-consciousness.
• Slow respiration (breaths) of eight or less per minute or lapses between breaths of more than eight seconds.
• Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin. In the event of alcohol poisoning, these signs and symptoms will most likely be accompanied by a strong odor of alcohol. While these are obvious signs of alcohol poisoning, the list is certainly not all inclusive.
Appropriate Action:
• If you encounter a person who exhibits one or more of the signs and symptoms CALL PUBLIC SAFETY AT 475-3333. Do what you would do in any medical emergency--call immediately!
• While waiting for emergency personnel to arrive, gently turn the intoxicated person on his/her side and maintain that position by placing a pillow in the small of the person's back. This is important to prevent aspiration (choking) should the person vomit. Stay with the person until medical help arrives. If a person appears to be "sleeping it off" it is important to realize that even though a person may be semi-conscious, alcohol already in the stomach may continue to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body. The person's life may still be in danger. If you are having difficulty in determining whether an individual is acutely intoxicated, contact Public Safety immediately--you cannot afford to guess.
(Reprinted from National Council on Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Inc)
The RIT Good Samaritan Policy is designed to address issues related to alcohol abuse for the following situations:
• An individual voluntarily contacts RIT personnel or outside emergency services for medical assistance related to alcohol use or intoxication
• An individual calls for emergency assistance on behalf of a person experiencing an alcohol-related medical emergency
• An individual is named in Public Safety Incident report as being present during the alcohol-related medical emergency
• An organization hosts an event in which a student calls for medical assistance on behalf of a person experiencing an alcohol-related medical emergency
A student or organization referred to the Office of Student Conduct through the Good Samaritan Policy regardless of conduct history will not receive a disciplinary sanction provided the student or organization completes all meetings and conditions. When an incident involving alcohol occurs that falls under the Good Samaritan Policy, the Center for Student Conduct and Conflict Management Services will contact the student or the organization involved in the incident to arrange for a meeting with a representative from the Student Conduct Office and the Student Health Center. At the meeting, the Student Conduct representative and the Student Health representative will review the incident with the student or organization and determine an appropriate educational response. This may include:
• Essay or research paper on assigned topic
• Participation in an educational group or class
• Program presentations
• Mandated counseling session
• Substance abuse education and/or evaluation
A student is not eligible for referral through the Good Samaritan Policy if the incident involved a potential violation of the RIT policy concerning sexual misconduct or other crime of violence.
Students will have one opportunity to be referred through the RIT Good Samaritan Policy per the discretion of the Center for Student Conduct.
If a student or organization fails to complete the required outcomes of the meeting with Student Conduct and Student Health, the situation will be referred to the Student Conduct process for Failure to Comply with an Institute official (section B #7, page 6 of the RIT Student Rights and Responsibilities 2008-2009).
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