Abstract:
College campuses across the United States are faced with issues regarding underage and overall
reckless drinking. Because these habits violate state laws and university policies, if a student or
member of an organization is in violation of these laws and policies but sees someone in need of
emergency medical assistance, they may delay calling for emergency care for fear of facing
consequences for their own transgressions. Many states and universities have created Medical
Amnesty Protocols (MAPs) that provide legal or university amnesty when an individual calls an
ambulance for someone experiencing a medical emergency. The most common form of amnesty
is caller amnesty, protecting the caller if they risked revealing their own violations in order to
seek help. This paper examines the necessity of MAPs, outcomes where MAPs have been
implemented and researched, and the impact of alcohol education programs following violations.
The purpose is to determine whether expanding MAPs to include organizations is beneficial.
Although no published research has shown the specific effects of organizational amnesty, it is
recommended that Ball State University use this opportunity to implement an organizational
policy and collect data to help its students and to inform the entire Student Affairs community of
the efficacy of organizational amnesty.
