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OESCR violations up by 16 percent

Alcohol, drug offenses could be the culprit

By Kelly McKewin, The Miami Student

In comparison to the 2014-2015 school year, there was a 16 percent increase in the number of Student Code of Conduct violations reported to the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution (OESCR) in the 2015-2016 school year.

According to the campus safety report released by Susan Vaughn, OESCR director, there was a 10 percent increase in underage alcohol related violations, and a 75 percent increase in drug violations, particularly with marijuana, in comparison with the previous year. There were a total of 142 drug violations reported to the OESCR during the 2015-16 academic year. 14 Title IX cases were reported to the OESCR during the year.

Vaughn does not believe the increase is particularly significant, as the number of violations the office handles each year can vary based on a number of factors.

"Usually when we see a variable in numbers, I usually can't attribute it to anything," Vaughn said.

However, one factor that can contribute to increases in violations is an increase in the number of students at Miami. From the fall of 2014 to the fall of 2015, undergraduate enrollment at Miami increased from 15,813 to 16,387. While the 574 student increase may not account for all the additional violations the OESCR handled, Vaughn believes it likely contributed to it.

"If there are more students at the university, there are going to be a greater number of violations," Vaughn said.

OESCR violations are reported mainly by the Miami University Police Department, Oxford Police Department and from referrals made by Residence Life staff.

Ben Spilman, MUPD captain, says the MUPD has seen similar statistics in relation to what the OESCR has seen in the past year, but also does not believe the increase is a particular concern. Between the 2014 and 2015 calendar year, the MUPD saw an increase in both drug and alcohol related arrests and disciplinary actions.

"Ours is a pretty small percentage of the OESCR workload. Have we seen an uptick? I don't think so. We've not seen particularly more activity in the areas of drug and alcohol enforcement in recent years. They do remain fairly consistent for us," Spilman said.

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