It used to be that students cited by police for an alcohol-related offensecould be pretty sure of paying a hefty fine — not to mention gaining a permanent mark on their criminal records.
But since October of last year, students have had another option. Rather than pay the fine, they can instead choose to take part in Beginning Underage Success Through Educational Diversion (BUSTED), a program intended to educate people on the responsibilities and consequences involved with drinking.
Miki Mace, administrator of the Substance Abuse Prevention Program, said she approached municipal court judges and members of the Eugene Police Department with the idea for the program after she noticed that many students were repeat offenders.
“I kept seeing the same people getting cited over and over,” she said. “The fines didn’t seem to be a deterrent.”
Instead, Mace said, she saw education as a better way to encourage students to make responsible choices.
And so far, the BUSTED program appears to be a success. Out of the 694 students who have gone through the program this year, Mace said only four have been referred to the second level of the program for repeat offenders.
“It has worked pretty well,” Mace said.
Next year, Mace said, the course will continue to be held as often as demand is high enough to fill the class. And beginning in the fall, students who receive University Housing alcohol citations will be required to go through the BUSTED program as well.
Mace said she believes part of the reason why the program has been successful s that it focuses on raising awareness of alcohol-related issues without being judgmental of those who choose to drink.
Because the EPD is not directly involved with the BUSTED program, police spokeswoman Pam Alejandre said she could not comment on the effectiveness of the course.
But, she said, “The Eugene Police Department is very supportive of any program whose goal is to reduce alcohol use among minors.”

The ten-hour course is open to anyone cited for being a minor in possession of alcohol, for furnishing or selling alcohol to a minor, or for contributing to the alcohol consumption of a minor.
In return, participants can earn University credit, and their fine is reduced to a court fee of about $50. If it is a first offense, the violation will not appear on a criminal record.
Although students must also pay a class registration fee of $35, the cost is still lower than the fines they would pay in court. The fine for an MIP can be up to $250 — and for violations such as furnishing alcohol to minors, offenders can pay up to $5,000.
Mace, who teaches the class, said she tries to dispel many popular myths about drinking. For example, she said, many people believe that when a person “passes out” after drinking too much, they have simply fallen asleep. In fact, she said, it is an alcohol-induced coma.
The point of the class is not to discourage people from drinking, Mace said, but to tell them “if you choose to drink, these are the ways in which you can be safe.”
Kristen Grbavac, a junior exercise and movement science major, attended the class winter term and said because much of the class focused on alcoholism, many of the issues discussed did not seem to apply to her own life.
But she said she is appreciative that the program allowed her to pay a lower fine and to avoid having the citation on her criminal record.
“Im glad it was there because it kind of made the whole thing go away,” she said. “t wasn’t painful or anything.”
Abby Kment, a junior education major who received an MIP citation last year, said the BUSTED program seems to be a fairer and more effective way to deal with students cited for alcohol violations.
“Being a poor college student,” she said, “I wish that option was available to me at the time.”