Expectation of Responsibility

Addressing situations where a student requires medical attention after excessive consumption of alcohol or the ingestion of drugs:

The health, safety, and well-being of individuals should be paramount concerns of all members of the Notre Dame community.  As such, Notre Dame students are expected to exercise active care and concern and contact appropriate authorities in the event of any health or safety emergency, even if violations of the University’s alcohol policy and/or controlled substances policy may have occurred in connection with such an emergency.

Because students’ concern of possible disciplinary action (such as being placed on Disciplinary Probation, Dismissal with Opportunity to Apply for Readmission, or Permanent Dismissal)may unnecessarily deter their desire to seek medical attention for themselves or others, the University has adopted the following Expectation of Responsibility to remove barriers for students seeking medical attention in alcohol and drug-related incidents. This Expectation is intended to create an environment where students receive necessary medical attention and those involved are provided an opportunity to learn from the incident.  

In situations where someone requires medical attention due to an alcohol and/or drug-related incident, students are expected to:

A student that has sought assistance for another as described above while also violating the University’s alcohol policy or controlled substances policy will be exempt from the assignment of Disciplinary Status Outcomes (i.e. Disciplinary Probation or dismissal from the University). However, the student may be referred to an appropriate setting of the University Conduct Process for a conversation grounded in formation and development. The student may be assigned an alcohol education program or other formative outcomes that assist a student with learning about the dangers of alcohol and/or drug use.

A student requiring medical attention who has received support as described above will be referred to an appropriate setting of the University Conduct Process. The student will be exempt from the assignment of Disciplinary Status Outcomes (i.e. Disciplinary Probation or dismissal from the University), except as set forth below.  The student may be assigned formative, professional referral and/or notification outcomes.

 

The Expectation of Responsibility is intended to create an environment where a student who has received medical attention due to an alcohol and/or drug-related incident will change their future behavior.  As such, the Office of Community Standards reserves the right to assign Disciplinary Status Outcomes for students with repeated alcohol and/or drug-related incidents involving the need for medical attention.

The Expectation of Responsibility does not exempt any student from the assignment of Disciplinary Status Outcomes for violations of other (i.e., non-alcohol/drug-related) University Standards of Conduct related to the incident (including, but not limited to: sexual assault, physical violence, hazing, harassment, theft, vandalism, etc.).

Recognized student groups (clubs, organizations, residential communities, etc.) are expected to take action in emergency situations. A group’s compliance with these expectations will be considered a mitigating factor when determining the University’s response to an incident that otherwise merits disciplinary action for the group. Additionally, the University will deem the failure of student group leaders to create a culture of compliance with this expectation to be a factor when determining a University response.

Students that fail to act in the spirit of the Expectation of Responsibility in an emergency situation where action is clearly warranted may be referred to the University Conduct Process.