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Drug and liquor law violations at Syracuse University have significantly decreased since 2017, security data shows. 

SU referred 1,023 students on campus for disciplinary action for liquor law violations in 2017 but just 440 students in 2019. Referrals and disciplinary action for drug law violations dropped from 186 to 71 in the same period.

The data is published as part of the university’s annual campus security report. Colleges and universities are required to publish the report under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act, which regulates the maintenance and publication of information related to crime on and near campus. 

A variety of factors, including updated university policies and educational programs for students, could be behind the decline in drug and liquor law violations, student leaders said.

Former Student Association President Ghufran Salih and former Vice President Kyle Rosenblum worked with SU’s administration to adopt a Good Samaritan policy, which allows for students to seek support or medical assistance for drug and alcohol incidents without disciplinary action.  

The pair started working on the policy at the end of the fall 2018 semester and began to make significant progress by spring 2019, Rosenblum said.

“It had been an initiative that has been taken on by different SA sections for the past 10 years, so we had a bunch of research from previous attempts,” Rosenblum said.  

SU’s amnesty policy now protects students reporting any prohibited conduct from punishment for drug and alcohol use. Previous policies limited those protections to students reporting domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault.

“We did comparisons with other schools and what policies they had,” Rosenblum said. “Ultimately, it was taken up by the senior leadership for implementation in fall 2019.” 

Salih believed the Good Samaritan policy had a significant impact on SU’s campus, but the decrease in drug and alcohol violations is likely the result of a combination of factors beyond policy, such as gradual changes in campus culture and education around drinking.

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More stories on Syracuse University data:

• 12 hate crimes, bias incidents reported on SU campus in 2019, new data says
• Breaking down Loretta Lynch’s 97-page DPS report
• Nearly 80 sexual assault, stalking, other incidents reported to SU’s Title IX officer

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The delay in enacting the policy, as well as teaching students about it, could have contributed to the drop in violations coming a few years after the first discussions, Rosenblum said.

Similar policies have been recommended to SU officials for over a decade. The policy, which encourages students to call an ambulance in the case of extreme alcohol intoxication without fear of consequences from the university, was first introduced to former Chancellor Nancy Cantor in 2009. 

That same year, SU’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities reported 122 cases of extreme drug and alcohol intoxication among students, often resulting in hospitalization.

Christine Weber, Department of Public Safety public information and internal communications officer, said the university is constantly reviewing data from its annual security report to enhance safety plans for the university.

More from the report

SU reported 12 hate and bias incidents on campus in 2019, according to the security report. Of the 12 incidents, nine involved property damage and three involved intimidation. The university also reported one bias-related aggravated assault and one intimidation incident on public property. 

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, protested the more than 30 racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents that occurred at or near SU starting in November 2019.

The bias and hate incidents reported in 2019 show a dramatic increase from previous years. In 2018, the university reported two intimidation incidents on campus.

The university also reported 10 rapes and five reports of fondling on campus in 2019, the same number of offenses as the previous year. Dating violence offenses on campus increased by two, with eight reported incidents on campus in 2019. The number of stalking incidents reported on campus decreased to eight, two less than 2018.

Burglaries, motor vehicle theft and arson reports all decreased from 2018. There were seven burglaries, three motor vehicle thefts and no arson reports in 2019. Aggravated assault and robberies reported in 2019 both remained the same as 2018, with two reports of each.

SU reported no crimes at its New York City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles or international campuses.

Published on February 28, 2021 at 11:22 pm

Contact Hannah: hngonzal@syr.edu