Rockhurst University encourages students to offer assistance to others in need and to get assistance for themselves when needed. When a person’s health/safety is threatened or appears to be in jeopardy, immediate action should be taken to prevent harm. That action may include calling Campus Security at 816-501-4010 or 911 for outside assistance.
The health and safety of students is of the highest importance to Rockhurst University. There will be occasions when individual students, on and off campus, are in critical need of medical, emergency or other professional assistance for various reasons, including alcohol/drug abuse or being the victim of sexual misconduct or other violence. The University seeks to minimize hesitation that students may have about seeking this assistance based on concerns that they will be disciplines for violating University alcohol/drug policies.
Toward that end, students seeking such assistance for themselves or others will not be subject to University sanctions that are punitive in nature based on abuse of alcohol/drugs. For this to apply to students seeking assistance for others, those students must be present when help arrives and will be required to provide contact information to the responding agency (Campus Security, EMS, law enforcement, etc.) To be included with the incident report. In lieu of punitive sanctions, students abusing alcohol/drugs will be required to complete specified follow-up, such as attendance at a substance abuse education class or assessment.
Failure to complete the recommended follow-up will normally result in disciplinary action and may prompt the imposition of medical withdrawal. Serious and/or repeated incidents will prompt a higher degree of concern and response.
Organizations are required to seek immediate medical assistance for their members or guests when any health risk is observed, including medical emergencies relating to the use of alcohol/drugs. Where an organization is found to be hosting an event where medical, emergency, or other professional assistance is sought for an intoxicated guest, the organization may be held responsible for violations of University policies, including those relating to drugs and alcohol. However, the organization’s willingness to seek assistance will be viewed as a mitigating factor in determining sanctions.
This policy does not preclude punitive sanctions due to any violations of other University policies, such as causing or threatening physical harm, sexual misconduct, and damage to property, hazing, and possession with intent to distribute drugs.
This policy only applies to the University’s response to students. Law enforcement action may still occur at the discretion of the responding law enforcement agency. In some instances, Campus Security may be bound to report certain possible criminal details to law enforcement or government agencies.