Students might worry that they would get in trouble if they called 911 to help an intoxicated underage friend. So for the past decade, Cornell has had a Medical Amnesty Protocol (MAP) to allow individuals on campus to call for help in alcohol-related medical emergencies without facing judicial consequences for underage possession or consumption of alcohol.

Since MAP was implemented, there has been a substantial increase in the number of 911 calls for alcohol-related emergencies, according to data collected by Cornell University Emergency Medical Services and Gannett Health Services. Survey data suggests that this call increase is not due to more drinking, but that students are more willing than they were before MAP to involve medical personnel in making decisions regarding the severity of intoxication.

Since July 2011, students partying off campus have received similar legal protections, thanks to a "good Samaritan" law passed by New York state. The law applies everywhere in the state, which is good news for those living off campus.

Medical amnesty policies and the good Samaritan law are being promoted at Cornell, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College through a joint "Call 911 for Help" campaign spearheaded by Gannett Health Services, with support from the Student Assembly, Interfraternity Council, Cornell Police and the Offices of the Judicial Administrator and Dean of Students. The intent of the campaign is to remind all community members about the amnesty that applies when they "do the right thing" and call for help. Posters, stickers and postcards were distributed on each campus in January. TCAT posters also heighten awareness.

The campaign is part of a broader "Caring Community" campaign that encourages members of the Cornell community to reach out for help when their own or someone else's safety is at risk.

This semester, members of the President's Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs, including Mary Beth Grant, Cornell's judicial administrator, are working to make the language of Cornell's MAP consistent with that in the new good Samaritan law, including considering adding coverage for drug-related emergencies to the protocol.

"In all cases, whether on campus or off, our primary concern is that people get help first and worry about other matters afterward," Grant said.

For more information on Cornell's MAP, see http://www.medical-amnesty.cornell.edu.

Warm-weather party safety

Cornell University Police (CUP) and student leaders remind students to be good neighbors when hosting parties on and off campus.

"There tend to be more parties -- and larger parties -- when the weather is warm," said Chief of Police Kathy Zoner. "To help students stay safe, CUP increases on-campus patrols on party nights, and Ithaca Police do the same in the Collegetown area."

To avoid problems with neighbors and police, learn and observe the rules:

• Unreasonable noise is prohibited from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. in the city of Ithaca.
• It is illegal to carry an open container of alcohol on city sidewalks, streets and parks.
• It is illegal to give or sell alcohol to anyone under age 21, or to possess alcohol if under 21.

Student hosts also can avoid problems by limiting the number of people at an event, keeping the noise down and the party inside and getting to know their neighbors before the party to talk through any potential problems.

If anyone experiences health problems due to drinking too much, call 911 immediately for emergency medical support, says Rebecca Goldstein '13, director of Cornell Emergency Service. "It is important that all students are able to recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning and drug overdose," she says.

Such signs include:

• inability to rouse the person with loud shouting or vigorous shaking;
• inability of a person who was passed out to stay awake for more than 2-3 minutes;
• slow or irregular breathing or lapses in breathing;
• weak pulse, very rapid pulse or very slow pulse;
• cold, clammy or bluish skin; or
• vomiting while passed out, not waking up after vomiting or incoherent while vomiting.
• Any head injury, regardless of level of intoxication, must be evaluated immediately.

"If a brother, sister or friend is incoherent or passed out and can't be roused, don't just let them sleep it off. Call 911 for help," says Christopher Sanders '13, president of the Cornell Interfraternity Council. "Alcohol poisoning and drug overdose can be fatal."