I was barricaded in the second-floor public restroom of my residential building by a public safety officer. Freshman year, the night before playing against Tufts University in football, my roommate and I decided to go out to get food from one of the dining halls on campus around 9 pm. We left our dorm, began walking over to the dining hall, through the science center, and were abruptly stopped by public safety officers outside of the building. There was a student, clearly drunk, passed out on the front lawn, with two officers flashing their flashlights in his face; he was clearly unresponsive. As my roommate and I walked by, they attempted to stop us to ask if we knew anything about the kid, and after a closer look, we actually knew the student—he lived on the same floor as us. We asked for elucidation on what was going on, and they exclaimed that they found him passed out face down in front of the science center; he was clearly intoxicated.
My roommate and I were worried about the student; the officers were waiting around, unwilling to help him. So I decided to interject, asking if the student was okay, then subsequently helping him get up so he could get back to his room and to a restroom. I ended up picking him up and assisting him back to his room while the Public Safety officers followed us, scolding me for trying to help the student, and eventually following me back into the residential building and trapping me in the bathroom until I told him my info, identification, and name so he could cite me.
I was later accused of two violations and called in front of the honor board. I learned I was able to plead my situation and tell my side of the story. When my hearing came, I firmly pleaded that in our handbook, we had a Good Samaritan clause which obligated students to help a student in danger if they saw someone in a dangerous situation. I explained that with that provision, I would’ve hypothetically gotten in trouble if I didn’t attempt to help the student. The student board ended up agreeing with my stance, and later in the year, I was approached by a member of the Honor Board to apply for membership. My unique situation and perspective would qualify me for a position such as this. I ended up on the board, and so be it; my incident freshman year equipped me with empathy and understanding for students accused of similar situations.
