Underage vs DUI; Emory's dilemma

[macallan25]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Why not?

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

[Tom Earp]

Originally Posted by macallan25

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

Thank You and True That!



Oh hell, never mind, just give them a kick in the teeth anyway for being safe college kids!

[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?

[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.

[sugarplumfairy]

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.

There wouldn't be any liability on the university, even if someone died on the bus. The University didn't supply the alcohol, nor sell it, neither did the SGA. That would fall on the restaurant that sold it to them.

Otherwise, as I stated previously, ever cabbie that ever picked up a drunk that anything happened to would be held liable, and that doesn't even remotely make sense.

Now, on the issue of the University's reputation getting tarnished if a busload of kids were pulled over and underage drinkers were cited? That sounds more like the REAL reason that they stopped the service.

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by macallan25

I don't think drinking underage was ever mentioned.

Actually, it was mentioned in the first post -- I quoted it above.

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but the way I read the situation, the bus was being paid for with student organization funds which were supplied by the university. That seems like the same thing to me as the bus being paid for by university funds at the end of the day, which gives the university the right to cancel the service -- or at least withdraw the funds from the organization. Even if cancelling it is the wrong thing to do, which in my opinion, it is.

However, the university allegedly feels that the service was fostering drinking among underage students. I'm not sure how to prove that, but I guess it's still a decision they can reach and react to as they see fit.

I'm not sure where the bus driver liability issue comes from. The driver and company are hired to deliver people from one place to another. I doubt that it's up to them to enforce liquor laws.

The bar or restaurant certainly have liability when it comes to serving minors -- or even allowing those of age to drink too much if they become a hazard to others.