In the first month of school this year, at least three Bowdoin students were arrested for drunk driving in Brunswick. During all of last year, only two Bowdoin students were arrested for that offense.
Officially charged with operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI) by the Brunswick Police Department (BPD), the students' arrests have dismayed many in the community, including college administrators, the police, and students.
"I'm concerned that there have been three incidents," Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster wrote in an email.
"What troubles me is the poor choices people are making, especially given the transportation options that are available," he said.
With regard to the relationship between the Brunswick Police Department (BPD) and Bowdoin, BPD Commander Rick Desjardins said that "in some respects, we're doing very well." He cited good cooperation between the college houses and their neighbors regarding noise and litter. But, in an interview with the Orient, Desjardins said that he found the OUIs worrisome.
His specific concern is with the level of intoxication the BPD has seen in Bowdoin student OUIs, he said. Also, "the types of drunk driving that we've seen in the last few weeks are troubling."
One Bowdoin student was measured as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.22 (a BAC of 0.08 is the legal limit for adults, by comparison), according to Desjardins.
"A .22 on a blood alcohol level is an absolutely, unbelievably high level. I mean we're talking borderline toxic levels," he said. "When you get into the .30 range, you're talking about people dying."
"So to have a driver driving an automobile at .22 is just unbelievable. We see chronic drunks not that high," Desjardins said.
Some students were confused as to why anyone would drink and drive at Bowdoin.
"I really don't see why anyone would do that," said Pat Costello '09. "Everything is within walking distance on this campus. Even the longest of walks are not that long."
A drunk driver hit Costello over the summer "a few days before the Fourth of July," resulting in very serious injuries. He was in a hospital intensive care unit for "a couple of weeks" and got off crutches one week ago, he said.
The Orient has confirmed that Brunswick police arrested three Bowdoin students for OUI in the first month of the school year. Other Bowdoin men and women may have been arrested by the BPD or other local law enforcement agencies.
"The status of a student is not part of the booking process," Desjardins explained, noting that it was therefore impossible to know how many OUI arrests have been Bowdoin students.
"It is very possible that the number [of three students] is artificially low," Desjardins said. "I would venture to guess that there may be more."
Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols, a Maine State Police trooper for more than 27 years prior to coming to Bowdoin, has seen his share of drunk drivers first-hand. In an interview with the Orient, he emphasized the possible catastrophic consequences of driving while under the influence. Nichols was just as vocal about the multitude of other choices available to a student who has consumed alcohol and has the inclination to drive somewhere.
"Here at Bowdoin, there are so many options available to you: you have Safe Ride, you have friends who don't drink that can come and get you, you have Brunswick Taxi that can be called, you have Bowdoin Security that can be called," Nichols said.
Safe Ride is a service "provided for the safety of students moving across campus," according to Bowdoin's web site. It operates from 5:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. every day. Any student can call for a ride, (207)-725-3337, to be driven from anywhere to anywhere else on campus during that time. The service also provides rides to students living within a mile of campus.
Nichols explained that even if a student is outside Safe Ride's area of operation, there is never an excuse for OUI.
"If you have your car across town at Joshua's Tavern or Sea Dog or what have you, and you've been drinking, park your car there and call us," Nichols said. "We'll get you back here. One way or another we will get you back here safe and sound back to your room."
"Whether we go pick them up or make other arrangements for them, we're there for their safety and security," Nichols added.
Maine's OUI laws are some of the toughest in the nation, according to law enforcement officials. Maine statute defines what it means to be operating under the influence.
"A person commits OUI if that person operates a motor vehicle a) while under the influence of intoxicants; or b) while having a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more," the statute says. "A law enforcement officer may arrest, without a warrant, a person the officer has probable cause" to believe has been driving under the influence.
In other words, a person is guilty of OUI if he or she has a BAC of over 0.08 or if "the person showed signs of impairment to slightest degree because of alcohol," according to Desjardins.
"Bowdoin students?especially ones from out of state?need to remember that Maine is one of the states with a zero-tolerance law," Nichols said. For people under 21, "that means any amount of alcohol in your bloodstream...will result in a violation" if a student drives and is stopped by a police officer.
According to Desjardins, if a police officer has evidence that a driver under 21 has consumed alcohol?either through an admission, through the scent of liquor, or through other means?he or she is guilty of violating Maine's zero-tolerance law even if the impairment limit has not been reached.
If a person is guilty of only a violation of the zero-tolerance law, the punishment is administrative, not criminal.
"It is important for Maine drivers to remember that a driver's license is not a right guaranteed under our Constitution. It is a privilege that is administratively issued and can be withdrawn by the state," according to the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety (BHS) web site.
In the state of Maine, the legal ramifications for OUI depend on the circumstances of the violation and "aggravating" circumstances.
The BHS web site explains that "aggravating factors include a BAC of .15 percent or more, or traveling 30 mph or more over the speed limit, or attempting to elude an officer of the law, or having a passenger under 21 years of age."
"Every single misdemeanor case that goes to the office gets an offer for a sentence," Jo Morrissey, the business and communications manager for the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office, said. A person charged with OUI "can either accept the offer or dispute for a jury."
"Our offers are going to be reflective of the circumstances of the case, as well as the [specific] mandatory minimum that might be imposed by the legislature," said Michael Madigan, a Cumberland County Prosecutor. He is part of the team of assistant district attorneys in the county that handle misdemeanors.
"Higher blood alcohol content is going to determine whether there are mandatory jail requirements," Madigan said in a telephone interview. "There are [also] other aggravating circumstances," that can affect sentencing, he added.
Foster noted that the procedural ramifications of driving drunk extended beyond the police station and the courthouse. If the College finds out about OUI arrest, "typically, the student will meet with his/her dean and we'll require an alcohol assessment with a substance abuse specialist, because again, our focus is on health and safety," Foster wrote.
"There is a very high correlation between an OUI charge and alcohol abuse. Students are typically placed on social probation for a year and this change in the student's status means that a copy of the letter is sent home to parents/guardians," Foster wrote. "That generates another conversation. And if the student is an athlete, we also ask that s/he have a conversation with their coach. The coach then decides what additional action to take," he added.
Of the three students, two were females and one male; one is a sophomore, one is a junior, and one is a senior. Two refused to comment for this article.
In an interview, the student admitted to having a few beers. The student was stopped by a police officer for not stopping at a crosswalk and was arrested for OUI.
The student expressed remorse and said, "It's just something I shouldn't have been doing."
The DA's office notes that consequences of an OUI conviction are not short-lived.
"As far as I'm aware," Madigan said, "an OUI, or any criminal conviction that's maintained by the state, is going to be there forever."
Beyond the legal penalties, there can be other long-term consequences to drunk driving, according to some in the community.
"One of my friends, like a month after my accident, got pulled over for drunk driving," Costello, the student who was hit by a drunk driver, said. "I haven't talked to him since."