An ASG proposal has started a tug-of-war between student government and UA administrators who say that the idea lacks one major aspect: prevention.

The UA Associated Student Government is working to add a policy to the Student Code of Conduct to remove students’ fear of repercussions from the UA judicial system if they or another student is ill and needs medical help because of excessive drinking, but UA administrators said that the proposal needs measures to prevent students from getting to that point.

“It doesn’t emphasize enough prevention,” said Mary Alice Serafini, vice provost for student affairs with primary duties of student health at the Pat Walker Health Center. “I would want to see it revised with a much stronger focus on really, really helping your friends so that this isn’t even really needed.”

Debbie Morgan who is the coordinator for substance abuse prevention at the health center agrees that more educational aspects are needed in the proposal.

“What can we give them, teach them and what can they do before these students actually get to the point of needing to be medically transported for alcohol? I think it needs that,” she said.

An educational aspect is included in the proposal, but after the incident occurs. Students involved are required to complete counseling at the Pat Walker Health Center.

“The idea is students’ lives are more important than punishing someone. With the bill that is on the floor now, someone can still call for help and get counseling services, and we can still fix the problem, and people’s live wouldn’t be in danger. I think the idea of someone being scared to call for help is dumbfounded,” said J.R. Baxter, the ASG senator who wrote the proposal.

In a survey conducted at Cornell University in 2000, a year before the university’s medical amnesty policy was implemented, 18.7 percent of responders in the last 12 months thought of calling for medical help, but only 4.5 percent actually called. In 2004, two years after the policy was implemented, 19.2 percent of responders thought about calling for medical help, but only 5.4 percent actually called.

The idea for this proposal came from other schools that have similar policies including Cornell University, Clemson University, Southern Methodist University and University of Pennsylvania, according to the bill.

ASG President Michael Dodd wrote a similar proposal last year, but it never got off the ground, he said.

Illness because of excessive drinking is not a big problem in this area, but discussions on this issue are a good thing, said Becky Stewart, central EMS chief.

“I’d say we go on maybe four or five [medical calls] a year that are beyond the point of intoxication to the point of maybe life threatening situation because of alcohol or drugs,” Stewart said.  “Just by the fact that it’s brought up, and it becomes a topic of discussion, it becomes less feared, and people will be more educated about it.”

The line of what is and is not one too many drinks is a blurred line, because each person reacts differently to alcohol, Stewart said.

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include confusion, stupor, vomiting, seizures, slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute), irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths), blue-tinged skin or pale skin, low body temperature (hypothermia) and unconsciousness that can’t be roused, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In 2010, 32 people were arrested for liquor law violations, and 463 violations were referred for disciplinary action, according to the UA Clery Report.