All citations for operating while intoxicated now will trigger the policy, which automatically puts the athlete on suspension while the department gathers facts on the case.
UW originally instituted the discipline policy in 2003 to remove coaches from the process of determining punishments for serious offenses but it left alcohol-related infractions out of the scope.
"I think the driving factor behind including it in this policy is to ensure that we have a consistent approach to what is a very serious matter," McIntosh said Friday. "That was really illuminated by the events this last fall."
McIntosh asked the UW Athletic Board and UW-Madison's Office of Legal Affairs in November to review whether drunken driving offenses should be covered explicitly in the Student-Athlete Discipline Policy.