Alcohol and Drug Policy

Trinity College does not condone the irresponsible or illegal use of alcohol and will respond deliberately and appropriately when violations of this policy occur. It is the responsibility of every member of the College community to be informed of the risks associated with alcohol use. Because much of the behavior that fails to meet College standards often involves the use of alcohol, students are hereby advised that alcohol consumption or being under the influence of alcohol may not be offered as an excuse/rationale for any misconduct.

Whenever the use of alcohol gives rise to difficulties, members of the College staff are prepared to respond to those affected. The Health Center, the Counseling Center, the Office of Student and Community Life, and the College Chaplains are available to offer individuals confidential medical assistance and counseling. The members of these offices are also available to undergraduates, faculty, and staff who wish to discuss, in confidence, the deleterious effects of alcohol and to provide information about Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, and other organizations.

While it is College policy to respond constructively to those who are or might become “problem” drinkers, it is also College policy that behavior that falls below College standards, and that stems from the use of alcohol or other drugs, be treated without consideration of its relation to alcohol or drug use. Indeed, the individual who’s drinking repeatedly leads to substandard behavior may be dealt with more severely because of the predictable relationship between his or her use of alcohol and the behavior that follows.

• Undergraduates and others are expected to observe the various laws, statutes, and ordinances that govern the provision of alcohol and the use of identity cards in Connecticut and in Hartford. Under Connecticut law, the sale or service of alcohol to anyone who has not reached the age of 21 is prohibited. No person under age may purchase, possess, or consume alcohol anywhere on campus, including student rooms in a residential building or in Greek organization houses or on their grounds.
• No person may keep or carry an open container of alcohol in any public space on campus.
• Individual members of the faculty, administration, and staff who entertain undergraduates privately on campus or in their homes are advised to be certain that alcohol is only to be provided on such occasions that meet the requirements of the law.
• Alcohol is prohibited in all lounges, and open containers of alcohol are prohibited in hallways. Common source containers (e.g., kegs, beer balls) of alcohol are not permitted in any open spaces, including residential communities. If a common source container is found in a residential building, the responsible individual(s) will be subject to restriction from campus housing.
• Drinking games, devices such as funnels, or other activities or apparatus designed to promote rapid or excessive consumption are forbidden.
• Outside organizations, individuals, or businesses will not in any way advertise the availability or sale of alcoholic beverages in any area of the Trinity College campus.
• If violations of the alcohol policy occur, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken by the Office of Student and Community Life or The Bantam Network Residential Learning Community.
• Public Act 06-112: An Act Concerning Underage Drinking: This act makes it illegal for someone who possesses or controls private property, including a dwelling unit, to a) knowingly permit a minor to illegally possess alcohol in the unit or on the property, or b) fail to make reasonable efforts to stop a minor from possessing alcohol in the unit or on the property when he knows the minor possesses alcohol illegally. The act makes a first offense an infraction and subsequent offenses subject to up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both.

Policies regarding the approved use of alcohol at events taking place in college facilities may be found under Social Affairs Regulations and Event Approval.

The use of drugs has become so widespread a danger in society that no college or university can ignore the problem. Because the College is concerned with preventing the serious difficulties that arise for the individual from illegal drug usage and from illegal drug distribution, certain members of the College staff are available to those in need of confidential counseling and medical assistance. The College strongly encourages the use of these services.

There are, however, other aspects to illegal drug usage and distribution, and the College community should be fully informed of the possible consequences. Members of the community should be aware of the deleterious effects that drugs and the traffic in drugs may have upon the individual and upon the welfare of the academic institution. Therefore, the following regulations apply.

Students are expected to be aware of and to observe the Connecticut and federal statutes concerning the illegal possession, distribution, sale, manufacture, prescription, and/or administration of those drugs that contain any quantity of a substance that has been designated as subject to federal narcotic laws, or has been designated as a depressant or stimulant drug pursuant to federal food and drug laws, or has been designated by the public health council and commissioner of consumer protection pursuant to Section 19-451 as having a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect upon the higher functions of the central nervous system and as having a tendency to promote abuse or psychological or physiological dependence, or both.

Controlled drugs are classifiable as amphetamine-type, barbiturate type, cannabis-type, cocaine-type, hallucinogenic, morphine- type, and other stimulant and depressant drugs. Specifically excluded from controlled drugs are alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Students are expected to be aware of and observe the laws concerning “club or designer drugs,” which include but are not limited to methylene-dioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA, also known as “ecstasy” or “X”), ketamine (“Special K”), gamma-hydroxybutrate (“GHB”), and rohypnol (“roofies”).

In addition to any prohibition governed by federal or state law, the College prohibits the following behaviors:

• Any possession, use, sale, distribution, or manufacture of any narcotic, drug, nonprescribed medication, chemical compound, or other controlled substance; any misuse of prescribed medication; any attempt to engage in the aforementioned activities.
• Any possession, use, sale, distribution, or manufacture of drug paraphernalia or any attempt to engage in the aforementioned activities relating to paraphernalia. Such items are subject to confiscation.

Although the College wishes to counsel and advise individuals and groups who are having difficulty with drugs, the College may find itself obligated to apprise the appropriate public agencies when it has knowledge of violations because the possession, use, sale, manufacture, prescription, or distribution of illegal drugs is an offense against Connecticut and federal laws.

Students charged with and/or convicted of felonious possession, use, or sale of drugs will be subject to the College’s disciplinary procedures.

Nothing in these regulations alters the concern of the administration and faculty to help those individuals who wish counseling on drugs. The hope is that we can maintain a healthy campus community, a prospect severely jeopardized by the use of dangerous drugs and by certain activities related to drugs. The welfare of Trinity College requires frank recognition of the risks involved in drug abuse and continued efforts to find effective means to solve this problem.

Trinity College values the general welfare of our students. We recognize and acknowledge that their daily decisions impact their success both in and out of the classroom. As a result, we promote a community of care, one in which students are encouraged to be attentive to the wellness, health, and safety of Trinity community members in addition to their own.

In an effort to further promote a community of care, the college encourages bystanders, and when possible, students who are facing a medical or mental health crisis due to the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs, to take responsible action and seek immediate assistance. Oftentimes students may have alcohol poisoning, with symptoms including unconsciousness or  unresponsiveness, disorientation or confusion, slow breathing, vomiting or choking, and cold or pale skin. In these cases, students are encouraged to seek assistance from Campus Safety, a Resident Advisor, a Residential Learning Coordinator & TRINsition Fellow, or other college administrators without fear of disciplinary action as outlined in Trinity’s Drug Use and Alcohol Use policies.

Under appropriate circumstances, as described in the amnesty policies below, college sanctions regarding alcohol and drug use may not apply.

Creation of the amnesty policies was a collaborative effort of Inter-Greek Council, Student Government Association, and the Office of Student and Community Life. Input was solicited from the larger campus community, and amnesty policies from NESCAC peer institutions (Colby College, Hamilton College, and Amherst College) were reviewed.

Under the medical amnesty policy, a student who is experiencing a physical and/or mental health crisis due to the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs and who seeks immediate medical and mental health assistance may not be subject to disciplinary action under the college’s Drug Use and Alcohol Provision and Use policies if it is the student’s first violation of that policy. The Office of Student and Community Life will approach repeated incidents with a higher degree of concern and a high level of intervention.

Under the Good Samaritan amnesty policy, bystanders (individual students, teams, student groups, or student organizations) who proactively and in good faith seek immediate medical and mental health assistance for a student experiencing a physical and/or mental health crisis due to the consumption of alcohol or other drugs may not be subject to disciplinary actions regarding their own violation of the college’s Drug Use and Alcohol Use policies. A teams’, student groups’, or student organizations’ willingness to seek medical assistance for a member or guest will be viewed as an important factor in determining whether a sanction is warranted for violation of college policy.

Once reported, all alcohol and drug paraphernalia will be confiscated and will not be returned to the individuals involved under these policies. All involved parties will be recorded by Campus Security as witnesses, and the information recorded will be provided to the Office of Student and Community Life, who then will determine whether either policy applies to the student(s) involved. The Office of Student and Community Life determines in all cases if the amnesty policies apply.

Students who are reported to the Office of Student and Community Life as having experienced a medical or mental health crisis due to alcohol and/or drugs will be referred to an educational program, and, in some cases, parental notification will occur. Educational programs provide students with an opportunity to discuss corrective measures around their decisions related to alcohol and/or drugs. Students who do not complete the educational program recommendations may face disciplinary action consistent with the college’s Drug Use and Alcohol Use policies.

The amnesty policies do not prevent action by the Hartford Police Department or other law enforcement personnel. Students are expected to abide by college policies, Connecticut state laws, and federal laws. Furthermore, the amnesty policies do not protect individual students, teams, student groups, or student organizations who:

• Are found in violation of additional college policies including but not limited to those that address assault, harassment, sexual misconduct and harassment, hazing, vandalism, driving under the influence, property damage, and/or distribution of illicit substances.
• Failed to or interfered with the attempts or abilities of others to seek medical or mental health assistance for the person in need.
• Intentionally placed the wellness, health, and safety of the student needing medical or mental health assistance at risk (e.g., forced consumption, unknown substances given to a student against their will or without their knowledge, etc.).

These amnesty policies apply only to sanctions given by the Office of Student and Community Life. Athletic teams and other Trinity organizations may develop their own rules about alcohol and drug use, and consequences of violations may result in sanctions to participate on those teams or in those organizations.

Students should check with athletic coaches and organization leaders regarding their own rules on alcohol and drug use. However, if an athletic coach or Trinity College organization leader seeks to impose sanctions on a student who has provided a report under the amnesty policies, the coach or organization leader should first consult with the Office of Student and Community Life about whether following the policies might be a mitigating circumstance affecting the sanction.