Last week in our #WITwants2know question, we asked if students were aware of the new Good Samaritan Policy. 60% of our respondents indicated they did know about this. Certainly we would like this to be as high as possible. For those of you who don’t know what it is, we’ve provided some information about the Good Samaritan Policy below.
We recognize that students may be reluctant to seek help in alcohol, prescription drug and illegal substance related emergencies due to their own involvement for violating the Code of Conduct. When these emergencies are serious and/or life-threatening, Wentworth wants to promote a culture of students seeking assistance when it is needed, as well as a culture of responsibility. For this reason, Wentworth has developed a Good Samaritan Policy.
In cases of a medical emergency resulting from alcohol, prescription drug, or illegal substances, students are expected to seek out help for an individual(s) needing medical attention by contacting Public Safety and/or 911 and remain with the individual(s) until the time assistance arrives. Students who seek out emergency assistance for an individual(s) will face no formal Institute disciplinary action or sanction for their own conduct which could be a policy violation relating to personal alcohol, prescription drug and/or illegal drug use that occurred immediately before or during the medical emergency incident. However, the personal use will be documented and an educational response may be required. This also applies for the individual(s) in need of the medical assistance for whom the call was made.
Violations other than personal use of alcohol and /or prescription drugs and/or illegal drugs do not fall within the scope of this policy.
The Good Samaritan Policy will not apply for calls for medical assistance made after the Institute or local authorities have already responded to a situation. Students who abuse the protections of the Good Samaritan Policy by seeking help for others when there is no good-faith basis for doing so, will not be able to claim the benefits of the Policy.
We encourage you to review this policy, which can be found within the Student Handbook under Student Rights and Important Laws.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Student Affairs by visiting us in Rubenstein 003 or emailing us at osa@wit.edu.