An Eastern student rolls over in his or her bed, vision still blurry to check the clock.

9:47 a.m. Saturday morning.

Next to the clock on his or her desk sits the tauntingly yellow Charleston Police Department citation collected from the night before.

Scribbled in black ink, the officer wrote the student’s name and circled the description of why the citation was given, illegal acceptance or consumption of a minor-an underage drinking ticket.

Next to the student’s name sits the court date. In a couple of months the student must wake up at 7 a.m. to be in court for the judge to decide whether the student will lose his or her license and what fine the student will pay.

However, in Charleston people who have received an underage drinking tickets are now given the option to take an alcohol divergence class to avoid court and losing their driver’s licenses.

“Education is the goal of the program,” said Lt. Brad Oyer from the Charleston Police Department.

The program teaches the dangers of drinking.

“The immediate benefit someone receives is they will not lose their license,” Oyer said. “But over all they will, hopefully, learn something and take away some information about safety.”

However, as an Eastern student, the police department and courthouse are not the only ones he or she must answer to.

Once the citation is recorded, incident reports are filed and distributed to the appropriate staff within the Office of Student Standards, said Erica Roa, the alcohol standards specialist for the health education resource center.

“Conduct Code citations are provided to our office and they are either adjudicated by Office of Student Standards staff or Residence Hall staff depending on the circumstances surrounding the violation,” Roa said. “The Student Code of Conduct applies to students behavior both on and off campus.”

The Student Conduct code is given to every student when coming to Eastern and is also listed on the Eastern Web site.

“Here at EIU we deal with a student’s behavior, each case is different but past precedent does apply,” Roa said. “With alcohol behavior, a student could be subject to any of the following: fines, educational classes, community service, censure, probation or suspension.”

Anytime the Office of Student Standards receives a ticket, either a citation from the city or a ticket from the residence halls, an investigation is conducted by staff to determine if the student violated the code of conduct.

“If a student is found in violation of the code, then they are sanctioned appropriately,” Roa said.

If the student is in violation of the student code, a letter is sent to them explaining how they are in violation and what the repercussions will be this time or next. The letters are sent both electronically and mailed; that is, if the student has a local address on file.

“Our initial letter simply states that the student may be in violation of the code of conduct and that we would like to meet with them to discuss this,” Roa said. “It also states a date and time for our meeting.”

A student may be assigned to a CRAWL class if they are found in violation of the alcohol or drug policies on campus, Roa said.

CRAWL stands for Choosing Responsibly and Within Limits.

“It is one of many educational sanctions that we have for students,” Roa said. “It is an educational class facilitated by the staff from the counseling center.”

Its primary goal is to create a change in behavior.

Over all, it is important to be careful and responsible, Oyer said.

“By all means, while you’re in college have fun,” Oyer said. “But it is imperative students do that in a way that is legal and safe. Alcohol does not have to be present to have a good time.”

Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].