When Wallace Loh was announced as the university’s next president, many found his record impressive. He had served as provost of the University of Iowa and dean of the University of Washington Law School, and he held administrative posts at several other institutions of higher education. His qualifications were unquestionable and his enthusiasm endearing.
But concerns did emerge about his policies. Some pointed to his hard-line stance on underage drinking at Iowa, where he helped pass a city-wide ordinance that banned all persons under 21 from entering bars in the city limits after 10 p.m. Many questioned whether Loh would bring such a forceful mentality to this university, particularly in the midst of debates concerning binge and underage drinking.
Yet, despite these concerns, Loh had remained quiet on such issues even with evolving controversies such as those surrounding Thirsty Turtle.
All that changed last week.
Speaking with a Diamondback reporter Friday, less than a month after assuming office, Loh voiced his support for the Good Samaritan policy. Such an endorsement is not only ground breaking for advocates of the policy, who have fought for three years to have it enacted, but it also offers a glimpse of Loh as an administrator willing to make tough decisions and buck the status quo.
The Good Samaritan policy was originally introduced to the University Senate in 2007 as a means to protect students from university sanctions for seeking help for someone overdosing on alcohol or drugs. Despite rampant support among students at the university, the policy faced numerous setbacks and eventually morphed into the Promoting Responsible Action in Medical Emergencies Protocol, which was implemented as a compromise last fall.
Many student activists called the protocol a good first step but pointed out its many flaws. Because it is a protocol and not a policy, punishment guidelines fluctuate on a case-by-case basis, leaving students open to sanctions from the university if they call for help and thus defeating its ultimate goal. It also allows the director of the Office of Student Conduct to change the protocol when he deems fit, further discouraging students from seeking medical assistance. And though we criticized the director of the OSC and chairwoman of the Student Conduct Committee in September, they seem all too comfortable making no significant changes to the protocol.
Loh’s announcement, however, dramatically changes this situation. Although the ultimate showdown will remain in the University Senate, Loh’s support is a ringing endorsement. Now, advocates for the policy will have the leader of the university in their corner.
And while Loh’s common sense support for the Good Samaritan policy is a victory for students and advocates, it also speaks volumes about the man. Loh entered this university with little knowledge about the campus or its people. In the months since his selection, he has spent many hours touring the campus, meeting with students, faculty and staff and — perhaps most importantly — listening.
Despite being briefed on the Good Samaritan policy by administrators and learning how divisive an issue it has become, Loh said what he thought was right instead of mimicking the old administrative mantra.
From his previous administrative stints, Loh has garnered a reputation as a bit of a troublemaker who speaks his mind and makes “tough decisions in the face of opposition,” as read one editorial from The Daily, the student newspaper at Washington. It seems that Loh has indeed retained those qualities. But while some may see them as detrimental, we find them altogether refreshing.
The saga of the Good Samaritan policy has taken a twist, leaving its future still uncertain. But while students have gained an unlikely ally, the university has been given a glimpse of the no-nonsense style of a truly independent administrator. And that, we hope, is just a sign of things to come.
Bravo, President Loh.
