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WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS:
For information as to the steps taken by the College in response to recent warnings issued to the nation by the Office of Homeland Security, CLICK HERE: EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INFORMATION: The College contracts with the NTI Group, a company that provides comprehensive communication systems designed specifically for local, regional, state, and Federal government entities that enable rapid dissemination of critical information via voice and text devices (http://www.ntigroup.com). This system is known as the Connect Ed© system, and it allows information to be sent simultaneously via e-mail, to student room extensions, faculty and staff office extensions, and cell phones, including those with text message capability. The information contained in the Connect Ed© database is uploaded from the College Banner information system, which contains e-mail addresses and all campus telephone numbers for all members of the College community. First-year students who wish to provide their cellular telephone numbers to the College will have the opportunity to do so prior to the first day of classes this Fall. Please note that at this time parent e-mail and telephone information cannot be entered into the Connect Ed© system due to limitations on the number of contacts that can be contacted through the system by the College. The College is working on a communications system for parents that would be used in emergency situations, and more information will be provided as this system is formalized. Feel free to contact Kenneth Snyder, Assistant Dean of Community Standards and Director of Campus Safety, with questions about communications or other emergency procedures. October 15, 2007--Albion Public Safety and Alcohol Enforcement News update: The e-mail below was sent to students on 09/25/07 by Mr. Kenneth Snyder, Assistant Dean of Community Standards and Director of Campus Safety, in response to several inquiries regarding Albion Public Safety (ADPS) officers being on campus and citing two students for underage drinking during the weekend of 09/21/07 - 09/23/07. ADPS administered portable breath tests (PBTs) to these students. Mr. Snyder explained that “The Albion Department of Public Safety . . . received a grant from the State of Michigan to form an Alcohol Enforcement Team about one year ago. This team is composed of six ADPS officers who work at various times each week around the city of Albion. The purpose of the team is to reduce the instances of underage drinking, drunk driving, and other alcohol-related crimes in the Albion community by enforcing local and state laws related to alcohol possession and consumption.” Please note that as of 10/11/07, no further students have been cited on campus by the ADPS Alcohol Enforcement Team. On 09/26/07, a federal judge ruled that Michigan’s law requiring pedestrians under the age of 21 to submit to a breath test on the request of a peace officer was unconstitutional. (More information on this ruling can be found here.) This decision also raised questions among students as to how this might affect ADPS enforcement activities as well as Campus Safety procedures. Campus Safety owns two PBT instruments. These instruments are used almost exclusively for evaluation purposes to help officers and EMS personnel evaluate whether an intoxicated student needs to be transported to Oaklawn Hospital for treatment due to excessive alcohol consumption. Students are not obligated to submit to a PBT, and there is no College sanction for refusal to do so. As of 10/11/07, Campus Safety officers had administered nine PBT tests to students on campus this fall. Six of these tests were administered to students for possible alcohol poisoning evaluation purposes. (For example, EMS personnel regularly request a PBT result when determining whether a student needs to be transported. Prior to Campus Safety obtaining a PBT for use, ambulance staff would request ADPS officers to respond and conduct the test which often resulted in students receiving MIP citations.) Of these six students, one was ultimately transported to Oaklawn Hospital by ambulance. Two of the nine PBTs were administered at the request of students who decided to verify that they had not consumed alcohol, and one was administered due to some unusual circumstances during an incident. As of 10/11/07 there have been a total of three suspected alcohol poisoning cases which is identical to this time last year. (Note that it is possible for officers to request a hospital transport without administering a PBT.) Other general information is that the number of judicial cases has dropped by 37.5% from this time last fall (F06:72 vs. F07:45). There are only two to three Campus Safety officers on duty at any one time to cover the entire campus from the Equestrian Center to Munger Apartments. In addition, almost 90% of all noise complaints are made by peer students or Albion city residents. Message sent via e-mail by Mr. Snyder to all students on 9/25/07: During the past two days I have heard from a number of students inquiring about the increased presence of Albion Public Safety officers on campus, especially during this past weekend. The Albion Department of Public Safety (ADPS) received a grant from the State of Michigan to form an Alcohol Enforcement Team about one year ago. This team is composed of six ADPS officers who work at various times each week around the city of Albion. The purpose of the team is to reduce the instances of underage drinking, drunk driving, and other alcohol-related crimes in the Albion community by enforcing local and state laws related to alcohol possession and consumption. ADPS Chief Eric Miller has informed me that during the past year the team has worked in various areas around the city, including Albion College. Chief Miller has assured me that the officers of this team are conducting enforcement activities throughout the city, and have not been focused on Albion College or our students. Students have raised questions regarding the authority of ADPS officers to be on campus and enforce local and state laws. ADPS officers may patrol campus and confront any situations where students are suspected of violating the law, even if the students are on College property. This includes situations where an ADPS officer observes an individual that appears to be intoxicated. Students who have a concern about the activities of ADPS officers on campus, or who wish to file a complaint against an ADPS officer should call 629-3933 and ask to speak with a supervisor. There is a Sergeant on duty during each shift, and the person in charge of the road patrol is Lt. Gerald MacQueen. Chief Miller may also be contacted by calling the above number. As filing a complaint of this nature can be intimidating, I am more than willing to help any student who would like assistance and support in initiating and going through this process with ADPS. Mr. Snyder can be reached at kesnyder@albion.edu or at extension 0213.
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Albion College ◦ Albion, Michigan
◦ 517/629-1000
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