"Is that Going to be on my Permanent Record..."

“Is that Going to be on my Permanent Record…”
By: Lauren R. Cohen

BUSTED! During the month of August you may have been one of the 196 underage youths that received a startling visit from the new Alcohol Enforcement Team. In a daze of confusion and the sudden image of you and your parents having a friendly conversation from the local jail pay phone, you decided to run and nonchalantly toss your drink into the nearest set of bushes. Little did all 196 of you know that a new underage legislation was put into effect this past July. Under this new law, youths under the age of 21 can be charged with a ticket if they possibly were drinking and were caught with alcohol. Similarly, assumption can be implemented if there is enough alcohol on the premise to supply for all the attendants of the party. Previously, the law only addressed those who had direct possession and made the purchase. As you and all your friends listen to the officer raffle off all the consequences of your actions of engaging in underage drinking, you realize that a, your checking account will now be negative $465, b, you will be walking to class tomorrow because your drivers license is now suspended, and the big one…c, all that does not even matter because due to that first citation back in freshman year, you will be catching the first flight home now that your scholarship is nonexistent.

So now what? Yes, the conversation with the family may not be the happiest, but there is a way to fix this dreaded situation. So for all 196 of you, and the rest that have been caught since August, take out a pencil because you might just be able to reschedule that flight home! Sophomore, Taylor Solemn (name changed for security purposes) empathizes with all of you out there because she too, was the victim of the new enforcement team. After Taylor was distributed a ticket earlier this year, she quickly found out how to expunge the citation off her record.

“ I was ticketed for underage possession, since this was my first offense I decided to pay for ADP (Alcohol Diversion Program). It was a total fee of $500 but that included my class and all the court fees. It was so much easier to do it this way. I just went to the Courthouse filled out the paper work and I was done. They also gave me the option of taking one- eight hour class or breaking them up into smaller sessions.” Taylor went on to explain some of the other scenarios her friends were in. “Some of my friends weren’t as lucky, the owners of the home went directly to jail and had other charges, others who had been given tickets previously were not allowed to take ADP and had to take IPT they too had other more severe consequences. I did have a friend who was confident in her case and initially requested a jury trial, I’m not sure what came of her situation, but I know she wasn’t allowed to take ADP since she initially requested the trial.”

As Taylor commented on, repeat offenders do not have it as easy as the first timers. For people with a previous record, they risk loosing their LIFE, Palmetto Fellows, HOPE, and any other scholarships applied for. Scholarships are still supplied if the defendant pleads guilty and or is convicted, but that person is ineligible for the following year.

“If I could give any advice it would be to make sure that everyone understands the ramifications of drinking underage, the officers are just doing their jobs, but they are out patrolling. The new laws are severe and the officer are enforcing them,” Taylor states.

It may be difficult to resist the temptation of going out with friends, but now that everyone is more aware of the consequences, hopefully you wont become the 197th offender.

To learn more about these new regulations and enforcement team visit the following helpful sites:
www.lradac.org
www.cofc.edu/.../Drug_and_Alcohol_policies_files/South%20Carolina%20Laws%20Related%20to%20Alcohol%20U
www.sa.sc.edu.adp/resources.htm