Student Conduct Code - Good Samaritan Policy
 

8.050.3. Good Samaritan Policy. The welfare of our students is of the highest importance to Truman State University.  There will be times when individual students, both on and off campus, may be in critical need of assistance from medical or other professional personnel.  Truman wants to minimize any hesitation that students or student organizations might have in obtaining help due to concern that their own behavior might be a violation of University policy. 

 

While policy violations cannot be overlooked, the University will take into consideration the positive impact of reporting an incident on the welfare of students when determining the appropriate response for policy violations by the reporter of the incident.  Any possible negative consequences for the reporter of the problem should be evaluated against the possible negative consequences for the student who needed intervention.  At a minimum, Truman hopes that a student or student organization would make an anonymous report that would put the student in need in touch with professional helpers.

 

Examples where the Good Samaritan Policy may influence educational sanctions are:

 

1. A female student is reluctant to report that she has been sexually assaulted because she had been smoking marijuana just prior to the assault.

 

2. A student is reluctant to call an ambulance when a friend becomes unconscious following excessive consumption of alcohol because the reporting student is under the age of 21 and was also consuming alcohol.

 

3. A member of a student organization is reluctant to report a possible suicide attempt by a prospective member because prospective members have been required to perform activities that might be considered hazing.

 

In all three of these examples, a student’s physical and/or psychological well-being is in serious jeopardy.