A Pitt senior says he has collected about 1,000 signatures from students who hope the Pitt police will pledge to stop citing underage students who go to UPMC Presbyterian for medical attention. But a University spokesman said he doubts Pitt will change its practices.
Student Giles Howard and two members of the Publius Foundation think tank, which he founded, have been circulating a petition for three weeks that asks Pitt to instruct its officers not to cite underage students in UPMC. Instead, he and the other members of the foundation want the University to station counselors from Student Health in the hospital, so they can recommend counseling for students who drink under age.
“That would be a much more productive action than just citing students,” said Howard, who declined to provide documentation of the petition, saying he doesn’t want to make it public until he sends it to Pitt.
Pitt spokesman John Fedele said he doubts a petition would hold much sway over the administration. He said he feared that changing the University’s ways might open Pitt up to allegations of preferential treatment or profiling. He added that Pitt can’t arbitrarily decide when to enforce the law.
“It’s not a zero tolerance policy,” Fedele said of Pitt’s practice. “It’s Pennsylvania law.”
Read the full story at the Pitt News.
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