Morganelli Teams Up With CHC To Address College Drinking

Sonia Oliveira (L) and Arlene Lund (R)

On July 18, NorCo DA John Morganelli met with Northampton County's four college presidents to see what could be done to discourage and reduce drinking on college campuses and at off campus housing near these colleges. "Alcohol is still the drug of choice," he said. He wants to avoid tragedies like last year's death of a Lafayette College freshman, who fractured his skull in an apparent fall after a weekend of drinking.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes. Nearly 696,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. Morganelli explained a "culture of drinking" on college campuses that is both "damaging and deadly," especially to incoming freshman.

He explained that Pennsylvania has a medical amnesty law that shields underage students from prosecution if they seek medical assistance for a student who may be suffering from alcohol poisoning or worse. To ensure that students know they can seek help without fear of retribution, the Center for Humanistic Change (CHC) identified all alcohol distributors within a five-mile radius of each of Northampton County's four schools.

Morganelli has sent a letter to each distributor, asking them for their help in curbing underage drinking. "These are the fellows we want on our side," he remarked.

Sonia Oliveira, a Program Specialist with CHC, will follow up with personal visits to distributors and handouts explaining the Medical Amnesty Law. CHC Executive Director Arlene Lund explained that her agency is an alcohol, tobacco, and drug education and prevention organization. "scare , tactics do not have an impact," she warned. "We want to have a conversation."

Morganelli may expand his outreach to bars that surround colleges.