Justice Story Rewrite

Kerry Gugliotto

Consequences of Underage Drinking in Pullman – Justice Story
Kerry Gugliotto

Headline:
Underage Drinking Costs Students Time, Money
Summary:

Ashley Musselman learned exactly how much time and money underage drinking can cost.

First, there was a $300 court fee. Then, another $300 went for a lawyer. And finally a counseling class that WSU required her to take cost her $100.

“The MIP affected me for over a year and cost me nearly a grand,” Musselman said. “But I continued to drink as a minor.”

Each fall freshman come to Washington State University excited to be free from their parents’ authority. But this new freedom often leads to partying, which results in students finding themselves answering to a new authority: the police and the university.

The day before classes began this semester, Aug. 23, the Pullman Police issued 18 minor in possession (MIP) charges, five minor exhibiting charges and one driving while under the influence (DUI) charge.

“It’s no secret that minors consume alcohol in Pullman, but the efforts made by the university as well as the police seem to be only costing these minors time and money,” Ashley Musselman, a senior at WSU said. “There are more important issues that the police should be worried about.”

On the other hand, Thomas Elhart, a resident advisor, member of the night patrol and Cougar Security at WSU believes the Office of Student Conduct, Pullman Police Department, and the WSU Police Department do a good job dealing with the issue of underage drinking.

“They are focused on the safety of students rather than just getting them in trouble,” Elhart said.

“There will always be parties and underage drinking on a college campus, but as a member of night patrol and Cougar Security, it is my job to watch for those who get out of control,” Elhart said.

Though the amount of charges and arrests related to alcohol seem to remain about the same from year to year, the fact that the police and university are so on top of underage drinking reminds students “they can only push things so far until they are reprimanded,” Elhart said.

In 2007 there were 174 alcohol arrests and in 2008 there were 175, according to the 2009-2010 Cougar Annual Security/Fire Report.

Alan Scott, a junior at WSU, learned how far he was willing to push his luck after receiving an MIP charge last spring semester.

“I was never a huge partier to begin with, but now I am even more cautious,” Scott said.

The night Scott was charged with an MIP, he had had only about 3 drinks over a period of about 2 hours, but could have been a lot smarter about the situation, he said.

“I was holding an open beer can outside of a party,” Scott said. “Now I realize that I was just asking for trouble.”

Though Scott was able to get the misdemeanor removed from his record, paying court fees and dealing with the justice system has taught him a lesson, he said.

“The process is a bit excessive, but it has prevented me from getting in trouble again.”
As long as there are parties, there will be police officers handing out MIP charges, Elhart said.

“My advice to incoming freshman is that if you are going to party, be smart about it and don’t get caught,” Musselman said.

“A lot of minors take part in drinking and partying, but they rarely think about the consequences,” Elhart said.


Related web sites:
http://adcaps.wsu.edu/default.asp?PageID=201
http://www.pullman-wa.gov/Departments/Police/Default.aspx

This article was written by Kerry Gugliotto,
kerbear732@yahoo.com
Contacts:
Alan Scott
(360) 509-2264

Ashley Musselman
(360) 990-2300

Thomas Elhart
(360) 635-1305