Penn State Altoona is a dry campus. Regardless of age, alcohol is prohibited in any of the residence halls. Any student found in the presence of, possession, or consuming alcohol while on campus will be referred through the community standards discipline system.
- Residents will be held responsible for activities that occur in their rooms and will be referred to Residence Life, the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, and University Police if students or guests are in violation of the alcohol policies.
- It is the responsibility of students living in the residence halls to maintain the spirit and letter of the above policies. It is the responsibility of the residence hall staff to assist students in this regard and to deal with alleged violations when they occur.
- It is the responsibility of University Police to enforce the criminal laws of Pennsylvania, as well as University rules and regulations. In the event of the involvement of University Police, civil or criminal prosecution, as well as University disciplinary action, may result.
- Failure to comply with the direction of or to present identification to University officials acting in the performance of their duties is a violation of the Code of Conduct.
- Supplying false information, such as name, age, etc., to University officials who are acting in the performance of their duties is a violation of the Code of Conduct.
Violation of the above policies will result in a referral to Residence Life, the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, and University Police.
Pennsylvania's Medical Amnesty Law
If an individual, in good faith, calls and believes they are the first to call 911, police, ambulance, or campus security, gives their name and stays with the person to prevent that person’s death or serious injury, the caller is immune from prosecution for consumption or possession of alcohol.
Additionally, under Pennsylvania law, if an individual calls for emergency services for a friend who needs medical assistance as a result of hazing, and that’s how law enforcement finds out about the hazing, both the student who calls for help, as well as the one who needs medical assistance, will be immune from charges for hazing if the four conditions above are met.
Penn State's Responsible Action Protocol
A student who acts responsibly by notifying the appropriate authorities (e.g., calling 911, alerting a resident assistant, contacting the police) AND meets one or more of the following criteria typically will not face University conduct action for his or her own use or possession of alcohol or drugs. However, the student will be required to attend an approved alcohol or drug education program, such as BASICS or the Marijuana Intervention Program (MIP); the fee will be waived. When the student’s behavior involves other Code of Conduct violations, (e.g., vandalism, assault, furnishing to minors) the additional behavior may be subject to conduct. If a student exhibits a pattern of problematic behavior with alcohol or drugs, that student may be subject to formal conduct action.
The criteria which invoke the Protocol are:
- Students seeking medical assistance for themselves when experiencing alcohol or drug overdose or related problems.
- A student seeks medical assistance for a peer suffering from an alcohol or drug overdose or related problems and remains with the peer until appropriate authorities arrive.
- A student suffering from an alcohol or drug overdose or related problems, for whom another student seeks assistance. The other person who sought assistance, believes they are the first caller, provides their name, and remains with the peer until appropriate authorities arrive, will also not be subject to disciplinary action for alcohol violations.
