On January 31st, a student ’19 who wishes to remain anonymous was transported to the emergency room without his consent. He argues that “I didn’t think I needed medical attention. Looking back… I would’ve been fine going back to my room and sleeping.”

After having about 9-10 beers and a few shots, the student had fallen asleep on a couch in Myers.

This student, who woke up to find his arms strapped down to the stretcher, explained to the paramedics that “I’m fine, I can walk back to my room in Watson. It’s not a big deal.”

Despite the student’s refusal to be transported to the emergency room, the paramedics told the student “you have to come with us.” After initially attempting to fight back the paramedic’s orders, the student “was, like, whatever, fine.”

Wayne Eisenhuth, the Director of Security and the person responsible for calling the ambulance, noted that the student was “unconscious. We couldn’t wake him.”

The anonymous student on the other hand doesn’t “remember someone waking me up or anything.”

The student also notes that this incident wasn’t caused by “overdose.” He further states: “Obviously I was drunk but it wasn’t like I was foaming at the mouth or didn’t know my name.”

The anonymous student feels as if this incident has inconvenienced him more than helped. He said that “it’s more for the inconvenience that one, I actually had to go there and come back for which I feel like was no reason, and two, that my parents have to pay an insurance bill for literally a ride to the hospital and a ride back and nothing else.”

Eisenhuth, in discussing the reasoning behind the student’s transport, explained that “we can determine if the paramedics need to be called or not. If we think [a student might need to be transported] we have some tests we can do, if the person is able to look us in the eye or hold eye contact, have a conversation, that kind of thing.”

He also notes that “if we call the ambulance personnel and they decide that they don’t need to be transported, they won’t transport him as long as he stays with a sober friend.”

Once at the hospital, the student had his basic vitals taken and was instructed to answer questions such as “where are you from, what year are you.” The student successfully answered all of the questions and was determined safe to be sent back to campus in a taxi.

Despite the inconvenience that this incident caused him, the anonymous student expresses his understanding towards the paramedic’s actions.

“I didn’t think it was right or anything but I feel like part of it is that they are doing their job but… I feel like it was a little too much considering…the circumstances, but part of that is that they don’t understand what maybe is…ok for me might not be ok for somebody else.”