COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Since introducing new
fines for alcohol-related offenses, officials with the University of South
Carolina say they've seen nearly a 30 percent drop in the number of charges
issued this year compared to last.
The new fines were created by a group of
faculty and students and went into effect in August 2012. University
officials cited a continued increase in alcohol-related offenses and an increase
in student deaths that were accidents related to alcohol as motivating factors
for the change.
Under the new fines, the first offense fine
jumped from $50 to $250, the second offense increased from $100
to $350, and the third offense was elevated from $150 to
suspension.
Student Conduct Director Alisa Liggett
says after they introduced the new fines, her office began monitoring the
number of charges closely.
"We started tracking every month because we did want
to see a change," said Liggett. "When we saw by October and November right
before Thanksgiving, we were between 30 and 40 percent [fewer charges] and then
ended up close to 40 percent with the reduction, every single time we were so
excited."
From August to Nov. 21,
2011, the university says it issued 974 charges for offenses related to
alcohol. Under the new fines and the same time period in 2012, the university
issued 648 fines -- a 33 percent decrease.
The latest numbers show that from August to
mid-February of the 2011-2012 school year, the university issued 1,227
alcohol-related charges. In that same time period this year, the university
issued 899 charges, a drop of 29.6 percent.
When it comes to being charged with a second
offense, the university reports the number of charges has nearly been cut in
half. Under the three-strike policy which calls for suspension, only five students
have had three strikes compared to thirteen in the previous year.
University officials say overall misconduct
incidents including vandalism and assault are down 6 percent as well.
"What
we're seeing is a relationship between fewer offenses and the fines," said
Liggett. "We do not have a direct causation, but we sure hope so because that's
our end goal is to make sure our students are safe and just keeping them out of
trouble."
So are students seeing a reflection of the
decrease?
"I haven't really seen less partying," said Albert Jones, a sophomore
at USC. "I mean they're college students, parties are going to happen."
But Jones says what he has seen is a change in the way students choose
to party. "Just the choices they make or where they choose to go when they've
been drinking or seeing anything of that nature," said Jones. "I guess they're
just more responsible for how they partake in that."
Junior Becky DeRose agrees and says, "I've
never gotten an under-aged drinking ticket or anything, but I did have a lot of
friends that got them down in Five Points and stuff, but I feel like it's
almost decreased."
Under the new policy, students who were
ejected from a football game for public intoxication lost their student ticket.
Liggett says 100 students were thrown out of games this football season. She
says unlike previous years, those offenses were included in the total
alcohol-related charges from Fall of 2012 (648 charges reported).
Liggett says overall her office is thrilled with
the drop that they've seen in offenses, but adds there is still more work to be
done. She adds that male freshmen students continue to receive the highest
number of offenses.
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