Earlier this month, the house dean of DuBois College House, Trish Williams, sent an e-mail out to DuBois residents, requesting that they not bring back “drunkard” friends on the verge of alcohol-related illness to the House for care. The e-mail’s rationale was that alcohol incidents reflect poorly on the House. Further, it cautioned that students who brought sick friends to DuBois before sending them to a hospital would themselves have to attend First Step, Penn’s alcohol education program.
This attitude concerns us. While the sentiments were extrapolated upon in a second e-mail, we still believe that student safety should be placed above any concerns about reputations of one College House or group of students, and students should not be discouraged to assist friends in need. Under Penn’s Medical Amnesty Policy, students are not to be punished for assisting friends that are on the verge of alcohol sickness, and the declaration that students doing so would face repercussions certainly sounds punitive to us.
No one should have to think twice before trying to help a sick friend, and this declaration could very easily lead to that. Furthermore, we strongly believe that few at Penn would judge an entire House based on the number of alcohol-related instances there — in fact, this warning tarnishes a reputation more.
The second house-wide e-mail emphasized Williams’ and the House’s commitment to students’ safety. We hope that students and the House leadership continue to put student safety first, and not behind reputation.
