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Medical Amnesty & Good Samaritan Protocol
Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Protocol
Sacramento State is passionate about our commitment to student safety, and its primary concern is the health and safety of its members. The Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan (MAGS) Protocol removes barriers when seeking help for community members in potentially life-threatening situations involving personal use of alcohol and other drugs or substances. The MAGS Protocol encourages shared responsibility of our community, commits to educational outcomes, and generally removes punitive sanctions for infractions involving alcohol and/or other drugs and substances for both the person and/or group making a call for help in good faith as well as the person experiencing a medical emergency.
In cases of medical emergency or crisis, Sac State Students and Registered Student Organizations are encouraged to care for their community by seeking appropriate emergency personnel. This protocol should ease concerns for any reason for hesitation that students and members of student organizations may have in seeking help for others in an emergency or crisis.
In situations involving risk or danger to health and/or safety, members of the Sac State community are expected to act and call emergency personnel, regardless of possible University, Housing, or Student Organization policy violations.
If a Student or Registered Student Organization seeks appropriate emergency personnel response at the time of the incident, generally, the University will not assign punitive sanctions to the reporting student or Registered Student Organization(s) for violations of alcohol or drug policies/laws (Student Housing Policies, Title V, and/or Student Organization Code of Conduct), which took place during or immediately before the time of the incident. It is also strongly encouraged that the student or leader of the student organization report in a timely manner to the University.
All incidents will be documented, and the student(s) or Registered Student Organization may be required to meet with University staff, and educational outcomes may be assigned. Additionally, the University will continue to fulfill all legal obligations in reporting incidents to appropriate University and law enforcement officials (i.e. Title IX and Clery).
Whether it's an incident related to alcohol, drugs, sexual violence, or hazing, generally, you and the person in need won't get in trouble. If someone needs help, make the call!
Examples of Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Protocol Usage
Below is an example of how the Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Protocol would address an incident involving both individuals and organizations.
- Student C is a member of a student organization and overhears several of their members making plans to have new members drink a fifth of vodka before initiation. During the pre-party, Student C brought beer to share with new members. Hearing the plan for new members to drink an excessive amount of alcohol, Student C becomes concerned about the quantity of alcohol some of the members are encouraging others to consume.
- If Student C reports the behavior, will they receive an individual disciplinary consequence for providing the new members with beer? Generally, no. If Student C reports the incident, their behavior will likely qualify for amnesty.
- What about the organization? If the incident is determined to be related to individual behavior as opposed to organizational behavior, generally no; the organization as a whole will not receive a disciplinary consequence. If the incident was organizational in nature and the organization followed the protocol outlined in the Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Protocol then generally no, the organization will not receive a conduct record for alcohol and other drug violations.