PSU VS UNH in Handcuffs

Since 2010, Plymouth State University students have experienced an increase in disciplinary action and a significant decrease in arrests as a result.

In 2012, the number of alcohol related arrests by the Plymouth State University Police were down to 81; a 26% decrease when compared to arrests in 2010. 17 drug law related arrests occurred in 2012, a 68% decrease from 2010.

Alcohol-related disciplinary action in the place of arrests grew by 44% in 2012. drug law related disciplinary action occurred 150 times in 2012, a 90% increase from 2010. Disciplinary action is distinguished from arrest by consisting of administrative punishments, such as suspension or expulsion, instead of the legal repercussions of an arrest.

This shift in disciplinary action frequency has been greeted on the Plymouth State University campus with overwhelming support. "Talking to my RA about getting caught was very embarrassing, but better in the long run than an arrest," said an anonymous PSU student. Another anonymous said, "I got warnings twice last weekend. I was asked to get rid of all my illegal possessions. I did learn my lesson, though."

Other schools, such as the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, NH experienced both a drop in arrests and the use of disciplinary action in 2012. Alcohol related arrests at UNH have been recorded at 250, a 42% decrease from 2010. Drug law related arrests dropped down to 79. A 52% decrease from statistics collected in 2010.  Cases of disciplinary action at UNH related to liquor laws are currently recorded at 359, an increase of 3% from 2010. Cases of drug law related disciplinary action dropped by 28% to 31. The reasons for the decrease in legal and administrative repercussions at UNH are not immediately apparent.

UNH's disciplinary action numbers are considerably lower than PSU, especially considering that PSU has roughly a third of the number of students as UNH. The majority of UNH's and PSU's arrests are proportional regarding school size.

However, there is one discrepancy. At PSU, the forcible sexual offense rate has dropped by 80% from 5 to 1 between 2010 and 2012. However UNH's forcible sexual assault rate has skyrocketed by 30% from 14 to 21 from the years 2010 to 2012. The cause behind this increase is not altogether clear, however one UNH student, Jacob Moss, said, "The increased effort on the UNH campus police's part, could be the reason behind the spike, not an actual increase in assault."

An alternate reason following this same logic is that sexual assault victims have felt safer in reporting abuse in recent years. In addition to sexual assault, the UNH campus has also experienced a much higher rate of aggravated assault than PSU, with PSU students reporting 1 assault and UNH students reporting 8 assaults in 2012.

Factoring student population size, the University of New Hampshire and Plymouth State University are fairly evenly matched when considering arrests and disciplinary action.

If you feel you or a friend are in danger of sexual assault or have misused drugs or alcohol please call 911. If you have been assaulted, contact Voices Against Violence at (877) 221-6167 for emotional, medical, or legal support. If you feel you or a friend are in any type of situation that may require help, please visit the PSU website and fill out a CARE application form.