Alcohol referrals increase at WSU, report states

Report shows most referrals same over time, except alcohol

IAN SMAY, Evergreen reporter

WSU has increased the number of discipline referrals issued for alcohol offenses over the past two years, according to the annual university crime and fire report.

The report, released last week, outlines statistics from 2014 to 2016, showing that 390 alcohol referrals were issued in 2016, up by more than 100 from the 2015 total.

Alcohol- and drug-related violations topped the list by number of incidents. However, both categories saw a marked decrease from 2015. Police made 50 fewer alcohol-related arrests in 2016 than they did in the previous year, with the total dropping from 132 to 82. Drug-related arrests totaled 49, down from 67 in 2015.

For other crime, most categories saw a drop in offenses and arrests. The number of rapes reported dropped in 2015, with eight incidents reported on campus, down from 13 in the previous year. However, other sex offenses increased from two to seven.

Burglary reports didn’t see a dramatic change, with an increase of two for a total of 32 for 2016.

While alcohol referrals increased, drug-related referrals showed a downward trend. There were 246 cases of drug-related referrals last year, a drop of 89 from 2015.

Fire statistics have not changed much since 2014, with only four residence halls reporting fires. Rogers Hall was the only one with multiple reported fires. The hall had two, up by one from the previous year. Global Scholars, Olympia and Streit Halls were the others with one reported fire.

Multiple university apartments reported fires in 2016. Chief Joseph Village, which was newly renovated, Chinook Village and Steptoe Village all had a single fire. The report did not specify which numbers came from the Greek community.

The statistics also gave causes for the fires. While most were attributed to cooking, two were marked as “intentional.” The fire in Global Scholars was marked as intentional, caused by a food container, as was a fire in Rogers, caused by a paper on a door. In total, 2016 fires cost the university $3,601 in damages.