NYU Shanghai’s drug and alcohol policies have received a C (70/100) in the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Gradebook, indicating that the university “does not have very harsh nor very fair and positive sanctions” (according to SSDP guidelines).NYU Shanghai Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is a chapter of a grassroots organization dedicated to drug policy reform. They decided NYU Shanghai’s Drug and Alcohol Policy Grade this past week, which can be found on the SSDP website.NYU Shanghai’s grade is due to the circumstantial nature of consequences and its vague Good Samaritan Policy, according to NYU Shanghai SSDP. NYU Shanghai SSDP member Alhan Fakhr says “I think [the policy is] stupid if it’s not guaranteed… it’s giving the school lots of leeway and not creating an environment which fosters responsible consumption of substances.”NYU Shanghai SSDP co-founder Luke Noel recently contacted David Pe, the Associate Dean of Students, to confirm campus policies before determining a grade, telling him that he was “working on a piece about school drug and alcohol policies for On Century Avenue”.David Pe responded; “The questions that you are asking are all circumstantial and dependent on the facts of the incident, which then determines the outcome … You may or may not have afforded rights within China's legal process.”NYU Shanghai SSDP aims to create a safer community by encouraging students to hold the institution accountable for student well-being, despite local laws. A major goal is to create support for a Good Samaritan policy, which would allow students to report others’ medical emergencies due to drug and alcohol use without penalty. NYU Shanghai SSDP hopes that the inaugural grade book will kick start student interest in this matter.The gradebook is a set of questions that function as a scoring rubric, which can be used to assess whether or not a school’s drug and alcohol sanctions are more focused on health and education, or punishment. These questions not only provide an assessment, but help institutions identify areas of improvement in their drug and alcohol policies.In this OCA issue, you can also find SSDP commentary on the gradebook and next steps for NYU Shanghai. This article was written by Shayla Schlossenberg. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: NYU Shanghai