NOD shows need for EMS and drinking changes

11/1/12 7:00pm

 

The fact that 11 students were sent to the hospital after Night of Decadence for alcohol poisoning is deplorable, and it should prompt a reconsideration of Rice's drinking culture and medical safety systems. Last weekend's events make it clear that the student body needs to make changes to limit the number of transports in the future. 

First and foremost, students need to stop drinking such high quantities of alcohol. NOD's historical notoriety gives it a lot of hype, but realistically, it is not much different than most other public parties; it should not garner such high expectations. Students should never feel like they need to get especially drunk for NOD. If students are not comfortable at NOD, they should either wear more clothes or do something else - students should never put themselves in a situation in which they feel they need to drink to the point of illness. 

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Drinking your way to the hospital is not appropriate for adults after college, and it should not happen in college, either. Students need to take responsibility for their mistakes and learn to apply their experiences to help form a healthier drinking culture. Rice students are lucky to have such a lenient, student-oriented alcohol policy. Especially since the hard-liquor ban has been lifted, students should not abuse their right to drink on campus. One way colleges might regulate student drinking before university-wide public parties is to host small pre-parties to make sure students are drinking transparently and responsibly - and not downing hard liquor in their private rooms. Regardless of what is done to remedy binge drinking at Rice, any time a situation like this occurs and is reported by the general media - often in an inflammatory manner - Rice's reputation is tarnished, and we as a student body are ridiculing the respect the administration has extended toward us with such a trusting alcohol policy. 

The other issue surrounding the transports is communication between Rice Emergency Medical Services and university-trained student caregivers. It is appropriate for REMS to err on the side of caution, especially in the case of alcohol poisoning. At the same time, REMS should only transport students who are seriously ill, not just to ensure that someone responsible is watching them. Speculation of frivolous transports by REMS is present on campus, and whether it is true or not, people may become more hesitant to call REMS if they think they may be unnecessarily hospitalized. The situation is not an easy one for REMS, but it is important that students who can be cared for on campus are not transported. 

The Rice community can provide student volunteers to stay with someone who is sick after REMS has seen them - in fact, that is precisely what student caregivers are qualified to do. Students who may not be in need of intubation or a respirator should not tie up Houston's resources or fill hospital space just to be babysat. A system of student caregivers exists at every college, and volunteers are always available during public parties to make sure vomiting students are OK. These student support systems should be utilized more. Communication between these student systems and REMS should be increased to decrease the number of potentially unnecessary transports. The last thing anyone wants is for students to call REMS less because they think they will be sent across the street. 

The aftermath of NOD should teach students about how ludicrous some aspects of our drinking culture are - like getting wasted for a particular party - and push the importance of upperclassmen setting positive examples and of college-wide efforts to reduce binge drinking. It should also make the campus aware of issues within our emergency medical protocol and aware that structures within the university for taking care of fellow students may need to be used to give sick students the care they need on campus instead of sending them to the hospital. 

It is not REMS' fault that 11 students got drunk enough to get sent to the hospital, but REMS does need to be more rigorous in deciding whether a student seriously needs to be hospitalized. However, despite the bad press and the embarrassment associated with having 11 students from one university hospitalized in one night, it is infinitely preferable to one student dying, and everything that happened last Saturday was done to protect students. Wiess College's socials ensured the party was well-staffed and prepared for anything to keep students safe. 

While the system needs tweaking, it is one that works to ensure the safety of students. As students, we need to make efforts to alter our drinking culture and campus medical systems protocol to reduce transports; however, NOD 2012, more so than anything else, has proven student safety is still Rice's priority. 

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