There have been more suspensions on campus this semester than all of last year. In addition, almost all alcohol-related incidents had the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko involved.

Associate Dean of Students Michael Ginsburg said the University has had more interim suspensions this fall with a total of 14 students suspended than all of last year where only 12 students were suspended.

“Part of the student conduct process when we receive a report either from the police or the victim is of such a serious degree that we need to protect the campus from that person,” Ginsburg said.

There are more acts of violence with these suspensions than we’ve seen before, but to overall student issues, more alcohol incidents that result in destructive or disorderly behaviors that are the result of beverages, Ginsburg said.

“Usually students tell the school that they were under the influence of alcohol when they destructed property or got into a fight,” he said. “Almost all of the suspensions this year, alcohol has contributed to almost all of them, five of them included Four Loko.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Jill Carr said she believes the combination of the high concentration of alcohol and caffeine causes students to do things that they wouldn’t do if they were just under the influence of alcohol or just blacked out.

“There’s a reason people have called Four Loko ‘blackout in a can,'” she said. “A lot of the students that have gotten into trouble with the University because of their actions while under the influence of Four Loko have absolutely no recollection of what has happened to them.”

Carr said energy drinks with a high concentration of caffeine and alcohol are a dangerous combination not only for students’ health, but for safety reasons as well. She said it is a good thing that this product will no longer be sold in Ohio within a matter of weeks.

According to Lieutenant David Weekly of the University’s Police Department, suspension is when a student must be removed from campus for participating in some kind of misconduct.

The student can appeal their suspension, but must have documentation or evidence that they do not poses a significant risk of substantial harm to the health and safety of others and property, according to the student handbook.