Students Ask for Amnesty when Seeking Help for Intoxication

Around 1,000 students have signed a petition asking the University of Pittsburgh to change a policy that allows campus police to cite students for underage drinking if they seek help at the school-affiliated hospital UPMC-Presbyterian. Ron Bennett, a spokesman for the campus police, says underage students who go to the hospital if they're dangerously drunk "will probably get a citation" which carries fines up to $500. The students say the policy is dangerous because the fear of citation could discourage students from seeking help. The petition asks the school to adopt an amnesty policy that prevents students from being ticketed if they require medical assistance for alcohol intoxication.