Underage vs DUI; Emory's dilemma

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by macallan25

Because that's bullshit, thats why. Why do that to a bunch of kids who are being completely responsible.

OK. I think the school made a real mistake here.

I think the kids were being responsible.

They weren't being completely responsible, though. They were breaking the law.

I don't even agree with the law. I'd like to see the drinking age lowered to 18.

Still, it always seems to come back to the law, though.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

OK. I think the school made a real mistake here.

I think the kids were being responsible.

They weren't being completely responsible, though. They were breaking the law.

I don't even agree with the law. I'd like to see the drinking age lowered to 18.

Still, it always seems to come back to the law, though.

So its against the law to go to a bar, drink, and ride back home?

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by macallan25

So its against the law to go to a bar, drink, and ride back home?

It is against the law to drink underage, yes.

[sdsuchelle]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

It is against the law to drink underage, yes.

Wait what? I am officially confused.. the bus isn't transporting underage people to a bar and telling them to go drink or something. The bus is for all ages to go to the city.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by sdsuchelle

Wait what? I am officially confused.. the bus isn't transporting underage people to a bar and telling them to go drink or something. The bus is for all ages to go to the city.

Also - can you go to a bar there even if you're underage and drink pop or something? The onus is on the BAR, not on the bus drivers or the college.

Stupid school.

[adpiucf]

Emory may have pulled the bus program because they felt they were enabling underage drinking and/or binge drinking. The bus gave the local police a prime opportunity to bust a bunch of underage drinkers, and I'm willing to bet the school didn't want to tarnish their reputation to prospective students or risk the liability of an overintoxicated student riding the bus to and from the bars and then coming home and suffocating in his own vomit, and the ensuing law suit from the kid's family which would surely go after Emory for money (because, after all, they provided the safe transportation allowing precious Junior to be placed in temptation's path).

[cutie_cat_4ever]

I don't know if it's geographically true for most campuses, but for my school (in the city) we have buildings located at places where there are restaurants, bars etc, nearby.

Our school has a similar bus system, but they would ONLY pick up and drop you off on campus buildings. So in a sense, you can go to a restarant then being picked up by the bus nearby in front of a school building. In that case, it would "sound" like the school is not encouraging underage drinking of all sorts. Just making sure that students get from building A to B safe.

of course, afterall, that doesn't stop people from drinking. But in this way, the school will feel they are not responsible for anything that happens to the student. But I do see another dilemma as to whether the bus driver will take the student or not....

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Emory may have pulled the bus program because they felt they were enabling underage drinking and/or binge drinking. The bus gave the local police a prime opportunity to bust a bunch of underage drinkers, and I'm willing to bet the school didn't want to tarnish their reputation to prospective students or risk the liability of an overintoxicated student riding the bus to and from the bars and then coming home and suffocating in his own vomit, and the ensuing law suit from the kid's family which would surely go after Emory for money (because, after all, they provided the safe transportation allowing precious Junior to be placed in temptation's path).

This has nothing to do with the situation at all.

The only thing that made sense from your Post was reputation.

The bus was paid not out of School funding.

The Police had no reason to stop the bus and cite passengers.

There has to be probable cause to stop the bus.

Unless there was a reason to check the passengers, they cannot to that either.


As DeltAlum said, they violated the laws they are there to enforce, not be Emorys foot patrol.

It is not Emorys call to have this done unless it is against school polocy.

Call ACLU, they get in to s**t like this for the good of the down trodden?

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

The only thing that made sense from your Post was reputation.

Oh the irony of Tom Earp commenting on people's posts making sense.

[cutie_cat_4ever]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

This has nothing to do with the situation at all.

The only thing that made sense from your Post was reputation.

The bus was paid not out of School funding.

The Police had no reason to stop the bus and cite passengers.

There has to be probable cause to stop the bus.

Unless there was a reason to check the passengers, they cannot to that either.


As DeltAlum said, they violated the laws they are there to enforce, not be Emorys foot patrol.

It is not Emorys call to have this done unless it is against school polocy.

Call ACLU, they get in to s**t like this for the good of the down trodden?

Ahhhh, words of wisdom *nods*

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

The bus was paid not out of School funding.

It was paid out the SGA funding, which is a part of the university. SGA Funds come from a university's student services and activities fee, which each enrolled student must pay. The SGA is an approved Emory activity. Thus anything sponsored by SGA or paid for by SGA is paid for by Emory and thus associated with Emory.

I'm not really seeing where everyone is so adamant about why this is wrong. Emory pulled a free bus shuttle program. That's within their right to do. There are still cabs and designated drivers if the students want to go out drinking. Underage drinking is illegal. Yes, people are going to do it, but a majority of people breaking a law doesn't make it legal. If you get busted you're still screwed. If there's a bus sponsored by a college activity and it is going to the bars and back, it is fair game for the cops to pull people over so they can bust people for underage intoxication. They could do the same in your dorm room or your parents' home.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

It is against the law to drink underage, yes.

I don't think drinking underage was ever mentioned. I have taken SafeRide in Norman before, and I am 21. You can be of age and still get a PI...so yes, pulling over the vans and arresting the people in them is ridiculous and complete bullshit, especially when you are being responsible.

Its college, give me a break. Underage kids are going to drink. Why punish them for doing the right thing and not driving.

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by macallan25

Its college, give me a break. Underage kids are going to drink. Why punish them for doing the right thing and not driving.

Being in college doesn't exempt you from the law. People drink underage, yes, but having a bus that travels through town to and from the bars presents a liability for the university because the police are more likely to bust the kids on the bus, and as I mentioned earlier, there's a lawsuit waiting to happen the minute Frankie the Freshman binge drinks, hops on the bus and chokes to death on his own vomit. Mom and dad aren't going to sue Benny's Backwater Bar. They're going to go after the private university with its millions of dollars.

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Being in college doesn't exempt you from the law. People drink underage, yes, but having a bus that travels through town to and from the bars presents a liability for the university because the police are more likely to bust the kids on the bus, and as I mentioned earlier, there's a lawsuit waiting to happen the minute Frankie the Freshman binge drinks, hops on the bus and chokes to death on his own vomit. Mom and dad aren't going to sue Benny's Backwater Bar. They're going to go after the private university with its millions of dollars.

As far as I know, SafeRide in Norman doesn't have anything to do with the University, and from what I recall, they won't take you straight to a bar.

Its the Bar's responsibility to control who drinks, not the University....so I can't see a lawsuit against ______ University holding up, at all.

[ISUKappa]

To my knowledge, in the 20+ years the Moonlight Express route has been in existence at Iowa State, the cops have never pulled it over and ticketed the riders on the bus. They have enough on their hands dealing with other issues. There have been fights on the bus, yes, and those people involved are dealt with by the police (if necessary) but it never turns into a free-for-all MIP/PI ticket writing session.

Also, the Moonlight Express won't drop you off at the front door of a bar or house party, but it will get you close.