Hutchinson visits colleges to discuss narcotics use across campus

By Madeleine Tibaldi     3/25/14 8:13pm

Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson will have soon visited all 11 residential colleges to discuss the culture of care and encourage students to relieve stress in safe ways, especially as it pertains to drug and alcohol usage, he said.

Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson will have soon visited all 11 residential colleges to discuss the culture of care and encourage students to relieve stress in safe ways, especially as it pertains to drug and alcohol usage, he said.

“I hit the two big points having to do with reasonable, responsible and respectful behavior as well as the culture of care and the medical amnesty policy,” Hutchinson said. “Then I open it up for questions.”

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Hutchinson said he hopes to clarify the medical amnesty policy and its delineation between the consumption and distribution or selling of hard alcohol, hallucinogens, narcotics and other illegal drugs.

“Personal consumption or possession are treated as a medical issue,” Hutchinson said. “If you’re in the business of endangering other people by providing or selling substances that are harmful or illegal, then that is not amnesty. And in fact you should anticipate that we will come down pretty hard on that kind of activity here.”

According to Hutchinson, if a student notifies Emergency Medical Services that a friend has consumed too much alcohol or taken an illegal substance, the administration will treat the issue as a medical one rather than as a disciplinary one, in which the offending student would be removed from campus. 

“I want our students to help each other, support each other and get each other the help that they need,” Hutchinson said. “We don’t want anybody hesitating to call for assistance if there is somebody who needs medical assistance.”

Hutchinson said it is especially important to engage students in this dialogue after the recent tragedies. He said these issues are especially pertinent in the wake of Willy Week, and students must be reminded to be respectful towards both their peers and the custodial staff.

Hutchinson also said he supports students seeking stress relief and fun through jacks and other Beer Bike activities, but he wants to ensure they exercise responsibility in their actions. 

“If colleges are choosing to do jacks, those jacks need to be respectful to the custodial and maintenance staff, as well as to students in other colleges,” Hutchinson said. “Jacks should be a time for shared laughter and shared fun but should not impose upon the hardworking staff.”

Hutchinson said the format of his visits is student-driven, and they are a chance for students to engage in an informal discussion with him and get their questions clarified. 

“Some of the colleges have set up means by which students can submit anonymous questions,” Hutchinson said. “Whatever means are possible for students to get the information they need about the culture of care, I’m all for it.”

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