Article IV. Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco

Section 4.01 Alcohol, Drug, & Substance Abuse Policy

One of the fundamental purposes of Doane College is to maintain an environment that supports and encourages the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. All members of the College community, students, faculty and staff members, share the responsibility for protecting that environment, and all are expected to exemplify standards of professional and personal conduct. The illegal or abusive use of drugs or alcohol by members of the College community adversely affects the educational environment. Therefore, Doane College is committed to having a campus that is free of illegal drug use and alcohol abuse.

In keeping with its primary purpose, Doane College will utilize educational strategies as its major approach to this area. Any member of the College community who uses, distributes, or abuses any drug, including alcohol, may be subject to prosecution and punishment by the civil authorities and to disciplinary proceedings by the College. Trafficking illegal drugs is particularly offensive and the penalties reflect this judgment. Doane College’s interest in resolving the problem is not punitive, but rather to establish clear boundaries of conduct. Misuse and abuse of alcoholic beverages is a serious problem often resulting in loss of human potential and irresponsible behavior that may be dangerous to the individual(s) involved, threaten the lives of others, infringe on the rights of others, and/or cause destruction of property. Alcohol poisoning is a significant and rising social problem that causes multiple deaths every year at college campuses across the nation. Drinking games promote mass consumption and binge drinking. Doane College respects the rights of individuals to consume alcohol in a legal and responsible manner. The college expects all students to participate in educational programming and discussion about the effects of alcohol use and abuse. The college prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages by minors on campus and college policies are in compliance with state and federal laws regarding alcohol use, possession and distribution. Violations of the college alcohol policy are grounds for disciplinary action.

Pertinent statutes include:

1. 53-103: Defines a minor as any person less than 21 years.
2. 53- 80: Prohibits the sale, giving away, exchange or delivery of alcoholic beverages to a minor. Procurement to a minor at Doane College will be turned over local law enforcement and the student/s responsible will receive campus sanctions including but not limited to a $500 fine.

Doane College is dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and expects all members of the academic community to behave in a manner conductive to that end. Faculty, staff and students must maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. Illegal or abusive use of drugs or behavior by members of the College community adversely affects the mission of the College and is prohibited. The College, through its Board of Trustees, adopts the following policy consistent with the State of Nebraska on illegal drugs. The policy is intended to accomplish the following:

1. Prevent drug abuse through a strong educational effort outside the classroom.
2. Encourage and facilitate the development and use of rehabilitation services/programs.
3. Discipline those members of the College community who engage in illegal drug-related behavior.

In addition to these, and all state laws, the following regulations also apply at Doane College:

1. Consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages is permitted by a person of legal age in their private room, suite or quad area under the following conditions: all residents of the room, suite or quad are 21 years of age and the residents of the room, suite or quad have been approved and registered their living environment as an alcohol tolerant room with Residence Life.
2. Minors cannot be present in alcohol tolerant rooms when alcohol is visibly present and/or being consumed. If it is discovered that underage drinking is occurring in an alcohol tolerant room, all residents present at the time of the offense will be held responsible. If no residents are present and no resident claims responsibility for an incident, all residents will be held responsible.
3. Students in rooms that are not alcohol tolerant (whether they are of age or not) cannot have alcohol or alcoholic containers present
4. In the traditional residence halls, alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the hallways, lounges, or any other public areas in or around the residence halls, including the balcony area of Colonial and Burrage Halls.
5. Except when authorized by college officials, kegs and other multi-liter containers, empty or full are prohibited on college property. College officials have the authority to request and supervise the immediate removal and disposal of prohibited items.
6. The college prohibits using college or student organization funds for the purchase of alcoholic beverages for any student function.
7. Campus organizations may not use alcoholic beverages at membership recruitment functions.
8. References to and/or pictures of alcoholic beverages may not be used directly or indirectly in the advertisement of any college organization function.
9. Hard alcohol, including but not limited to mixes, brews or alcohol punches, is not permitted on campus.
10. No “drinking games” (with alcohol) are allowed on the Doane College campus. Participants and observers are also in violation of this policy.

Drinking or possessing alcoholic beverages on College property, except where permitted under these regulations, is subject to disciplinary action. This includes fines, community service, drug and alcohol evaluations (at the student’s expense), probation, suspension or expulsion from the College.

1. Minor in Possession: Anyone under the age of 21 that possesses or is in the proximity of alcohol. Examples of a MIP:
   1. A minor holding an alcohol container for an “of age” student.
   2. Possession of unopened or open alcohol containers.
2. Procuring for a Minor: Serving and/or making alcohol available for students under legal age is a crime and the College will not tolerate or condone such practices. The College’s judicial system is designed to handle such infractions of the law and penalties are severe. In addition, these cases may be turned over to the local law enforcement.
3. Alcohol Consumption in Public Places/”Open Container”: Alcohol is only allowed in the room, suite or quad that is alcohol tolerant or designated areas on campus during special events (i.e. Butler Gatherings).

Minors and “of age” students committing any of the above offenses are subject to any and all fines. Legal and responsible use of alcohol on campus is the goal of these regulations. Irresponsible (though legal) use of alcohol which infringes on the rights of others (i.e., excessive noise, physical or emotional abuse or assault or unsafe conduct) or results in the destruction of property, will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. Based on behavioral concern reports and/or incident reports, the administration reserves the right to require that a student submit himself/herself for an alcohol or drug evaluation at his or her own expense. Subsequently, the student will be expected to abide by the recommendations of the evaluation. The college does reserve the right to turn any and all violations of law over to local authorities.

Good Samaritan Policy

The Doane community values the health and safety of its members and supports an environment that encourages students to come to the assistance of one another. To that end, the Good Samaritan policy has been created to ensure that responsible action is taken when a student is medically endangered due to the consumption of alcohol.

Students for whom medical assistance is summoned for alcohol intoxication will be granted amnesty from College disciplinary action. The student who summons the Safety Office or Residence Hall staff members or EMS on behalf of an intoxicated student will likewise be granted such amnesty provided the caller remains with the intoxicated student until help arrives. Students involved in an alcohol-related incident for which amnesty is granted will be provided appropriate educational or developmental interventions, which may include assessment and counseling. Amnesty applies only to alcohol violations and does not apply to other violations of the student conduct code such as assault, property damage, hazing or the presence of other illicit substances. It is expected that individual students will not abuse this policy and they will be notified if they lose the right to utilize this policy. Students should also be aware that this college policy does not prevent action by local and state authorities.

Section 4.02 Rehabilitation Services

Those students who seek assistance to overcome a drug-related problem shall be provided with information about drug counseling and rehabilitation services available through Doane College contacts/networks and through community organizations. Those individuals who voluntarily avail themselves of these services prior to disciplinary actions by the College shall be assured that applicable professional standards of confidentiality will be observed to the extent allowed by law.

Section 4.03 Federal Trafficking Penalties

Students, faculty members and other staff are responsible, as citizens, for knowing about and complying with the provisions of Nebraska law that make it a crime to possess, sell, deliver or manufacture those drugs designated collectively as controlled substances. Any member of the College community who violates any of those laws is subject to both prosecution and punishment by the civil authorities and disciplinary proceedings by the College. TRAFFICKING IN ILLEGAL DRUGS and/or the illegal POSSESSION OF DRUGS is taken very seriously and will be dealt with in a similar fashion. The College is not an environment to use, sell and/or possess drugs. If such conduct occurs, or is alleged by law enforcement to have occurred and criminal charges are filed, the involved students will be subject to immediate suspension and additional disciplinary consequences up to and including expulsion. The penalties to be imposed by the College may range from written warnings with probationary status to expulsions and complete separation from enrollment and/or discharges from employment. A federal drug conviction will result in the loss of federal student aid eligibility and the loss of all Doane College institutional funding. Federal Trafficking Penalties can be found at this link: http://www.justice.gov/dea/agency/penalties.htm

Section 4.04 Smoking Policy

In order to provide a safe and healthy work/study environment for all employees and students, and to comply with the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act, Doane College restricts smoking in campus buildings.

Smoking is not allowed inside any campus buildings or college vehicles. Smoking will be permitted outdoors in designated smoking areas at least 50 feet away from building entrances.

Section 4.05 Beverage Container Policy

Beverage containers of any type are t allowed into any Doane-sponsored public event, including sporting events and special events at the Haddix Center, Butler, Fuhrer Fieldhouse, etc. The public and students are encouraged to purchase refreshments sold at the concession stand. Anyone attempting to bring in a beverage container will be asked to dispose of it.