By Kyle Twardowski
\nFor Triton’s Call<\/strong><\/p>\n

History of Alcohol Policies in the U.S.<\/strong>
\n After prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 21st Amendment gave states the right to set their own alcohol laws, with most states setting a minimum drinking age of 21. But pressure from student activists in the 1960s to reduce the minimum voting age to 18 lead various states to subsequently reduce their drinking ages to 18, 19 and 20 years.
\nAll that changed in 1984 with the passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which withheld 10 percent of federal highway construction funds from states that did not set a minimum drinking age of 21. Since then, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enacted minimum drinking ages of 21. In 2010, Acting Governor Cruz changed the minimum drinking age from 18 to 21 after the death of a cyclist by a 19 year old drunk driver.
\nAlcohol Problems at UOG<\/strong>
\nWhile some people choose to live a healthy lifestyle and run along the walkways lining the border of the campus, others choose to use the grounds as a place to consume alcohol.
\n\tThese individuals often leave their trash behind for the students to observe throughout the week before it is picked up by one of the many grounds keepers monitoring the university grounds.
\n\t\u201cI think it\u2019s kind of scary and it brings safety because you don\u2019t know who is doing these things most of the time,\u201d said Frederick Rondilla a senior at UOG.
\n\tRondilla explained that during the previous semester, he would leave his class around 8 P.M. and while he would be waiting for his ride, he wouldn\u2019t see any trash on the ground. When he would return the following day, he would see beer bottles covering the ground, bringing him to question some of the activities that overrule the campus at night.
\n Any type of alcohol\u2014related substance is prohibited on campus per policy, which is stated clear in the student handbook, with the exception of dorm residents age 21 or over, who can consume alcohol within the dormitory.
\nHowever, despite the clearly stated policy on drinking, the campus is home to illegal alcohol consumption.
\n \tFelix Mansapit, safety administrator at UOG and his team of G4S employees collaborate with the Guam Police Department (GPD) to enforce the policy against illegal alcohol consumption on campus as much as possible for the safety of the students and others. According to Mansapit, however, students are not the only ones consuming alcohol on campus.
\n Based on data that Mansapit has collected over a four-year period, there have been multiple incidents of non-students being involved in accidents in and out of vehicles and also in buildings around campus. Most of these incidents have also been recorded to be in the early mornings and also on weekends.
\n\tIf non-students are caught consuming alcohol on campus, Mansapit and his team immediately report the incident to GPD. Mansapit said for students, not only is GPD informed, the student will be reported to the dean of EMSS and the Students Discipline committee for further action.
\nThere are a few areas that are frequently used for the consumption of alcohol, which include the Marine Lab parking lot, the area overlooking Marine Lab, the roof of the Science Building, and the rear of the Student Center.
\nViolators Need to be Handled<\/strong>
\n The committee is intended to hear cases involving any violations of the student code of conduct. As it states in the handbook, the Dean of EMSS will determine if any cases forwarded to him have merit. If merit is present, the case is then forwarded to the SDAC.
\nLaura Biggs, assistant professor of physiology at UOG and member of the student discipline and appeals committee feels that knowing what actions will be taken by UOG if a student is caught in violation of any of the policies is necessary. One way of doing this is to review the disciplinary actions stated in the UOG student handbook.
\n \u201cI think it\u2019s extremely important that students are aware of this process and know how to handle reporting issues or dealing with issues that may involve them,\u201d Biggs said.
\n Biggs added that one of the most important items to ensure is that when there is an issue of misconduct, the issue is reported through the program chair first. After, it will go to the dean of the college, before it reaches the dean of EMSS.<\/p>\n