As we get moved in for another great year at Virginia Tech, resident advisors have been holding hall meetings to remind us of the rules and regulations that go with living on campus that make life a bit more complicated and obnoxious.
For the most part, I can begrudgingly accept these rules and even agree with most of them. However, every now and then the school abuses its nearly absolute power over what happens on its campus.
One policy change this year is especially poorly thought out and should be repealed immediately. As of earlier this year, the school will now report any alcohol-related rule breaking to the student’s parents, regardless of age. That means you can be 20 years old — a legal adult for two years — and your choices will be arbitrarily reported to your parents.
I am not endorsing underage drinking; even if I think the laws should be changed, it is not up to the school to make statewide policy. I am simply saying the school has no right to report your lawbreaking to anyone but the police. As an adult, the responsibility falls to you to make choices and accept the consequences of your actions. As long as that is true, there is no reason for Tech to notify anyone else.
Common courtesy dictates that if you are living on your parents’ dime, you should probably tell them if something major happens. However, it is not up to the school to officiate manners — especially since the school has absolutely no idea what your home relationships are like.
I wish I could say this policy was illegal, but as we have seen with so many other abuses of school power — from requiring police officers to occasionally walk our halls to having drug policies that seem completely incoherent when compared to alcohol policies — the school has nearly unlimited power when dealing with behavioral rules.
As long as we are paying an exorbitant amount of money to live here, the school can do with us what it chooses. With that in mind, I am not really arguing that this particular policy is legally incorrect, I am arguing that the university should realize that it has no business interfering with our family life. Whatever your personal feelings are on drinking, it should be obvious that this policy goes too far.
There was a time when we were all under 18, and the police had a legal responsibility to report any legal violations to our parents. At the time, we had an ambiguous legal status and part of the baggage that goes along with being charged as a minor is that our parents had a chance to enforce personal punishment of their own.
That has changed now, most of us — none of this applies if you’re under 18 — will now be charged as adults, which means society expects us to be responsible for our actions. The fact the school can arbitrarily decide if we should still be treated as minors is both offensive and foolish.
It should not be Tech’s decision to intrude in our personal lives by informing parents of our actions. The moment we turned 18, it became a family decision, and the school lost whatever right it had to act on this issue.
Personally, I would tell my parents if I got a judicial referral — let’s hope not — and I suspect many people reading this think it’s not worth arguing about, since they likely would do the same. The point is the decision should be yours, and Tech’s policy is taking away that responsibility and your right.
A version of this article appeared in the Aug 26 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...suck it up and be careful drinking. nuff said
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If you don't like the policy - live somewhere else. If you want to live on campus, you have to abide by their rules and you agreed to do so. Sorry, I don't feel bad for you or any other snot-nosed drunk on campus.
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I'm one of those snot-nosed drunks
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The reason this policy was put in place was because too many kids weren't telling their parents when they got caught with alcohol. Then there parents received a call the next time saying "This is your son/daughter's third strike. He/she is being put on suspension immediately for the next year." Then the parent is blindsided and blames the school for not telling them their son had an issue. Parents have more power over their children than any institution. It's real easy for a parent to do something about their kids if they think their child has a drinking problem. Considering a majority of these people are here on their parents money, they have every right to know. And until the person in violation of the alcohol and drug policy can afford to be here on their own, their parents should be called.
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The school does not say "if your paying we won't call" otherwise I might agree. There are people paying their own way that should have no obligations to their parents yet the school finds a need to bring them into the mix regardless. I actually do believe there is a legal issue found here, as of the age of 18 your parents have no legal rights over you, and by releasing information that could be confidential they are in violation of your rights.
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Those who are paying have no obligation to give the university their parents contact info in the first place.
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Totally agree, regardless we are all adults, personally im 22 and live off campus. However, once someone is the age 18, they are on their own. If there parents blame tech for not telling them, they need to be re-educate themselves on their rights as american citizens. Those rights don't include any control over their adult children.
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Criminal activity of an adult is not confidential. If you commit a crime and are 18 , that information is public knowledge and can even be accessed online.
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Suggest you read FERPA, SECTION 99/Internal Revenue Code 152/Dependent Student). A parent ahs every right to know, but many colleges do not alert parents. It is true, that there are cases in which a student has violated the policy multiple times, suspended and the parents were not aware until the kid came home. It's funny how students want to be adults on these issues, yet rely on Mom and/or Dad for finacial support including college costs. If you are trule an independent student, I would agree. However, a majority of students under 21 are dependents as listed on their tax returns and through your Mom and/or dad paying for some or all of your college expenses. Early intervention and parental support goes a long way. There are exceptions, especially if you come from an abusive home or your problems are related to something happening at home...parental divorce, sexual assault...but that is rare. Most importantly, are you aware that the use/abuse of alcohol/substances may indicate an underlying mental illness which can lead to death if not being treated. Suiicde is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students and 1 in 12 have a suiicde plan. If you or anyone you know is in crisis, call 1-800-273-8255(TALK). So sorry, your irresponsibility in being an adult and following the rules/law, while still a dependent of your parent warrants notification due to safety and health concerns.
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agreed, the school is overstepping it's boundaries and applying the conservative social control model when it's not necessary to do so. No wonder the huge majority of students move off campus their second year. tech could have a much larger on campus student body if it behaved more like the northeastern universities.
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Tech has no problem filling on-campus slots. Every time they build a new residence hall it fills up and people are denied on-campus housing who applied. I hardly think this is an attempt to impose conservative morals on the students and more of a cover-your-ass measure to keep parents happy in situations like the previous commented mentioned.
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Boo frickety hoo. How's this for a compromise: If your parents are paying the "exorbitant amount of money to live here" the university can tell them if you break the law. If you are paying your own way they can't.
The problem is that so many of you boast of being an adult but all you really want is the privileges but not the responsibilities. You'll find you have a lot more freedom when you actually pay your own way.
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Paying your own way might make you take responsibility and pride in your schooling too, rather than drinking it away into a pool of vomit. All on mommy and daddy's dime too. Aren't they proud?
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Feel free to transfer to any of those "Northeastern Universities" at any time if you feel your rights are being trampled upon. Bottom line, you're at VT by your choice and agreed to abide by their rules. Enjoy it while you can. Your troubles and worries will only grow larger from here on out.
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Yes, the 'real world' is so insurmountable and terrifying. It is the same crap adolescents have been fed for time immemorial by their elders, and it is not only sadly condescending, but is also a gross misrepresentation of life after college. Adults (and self-righteous undergraduates who think they are mature beyond their age) merely reveal themselves as being incapable of handling the very life they are warning about, and why should someone listen to an adult that didn't like or couldn't handle the transition to post-graduate life?
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I completely agree. Attending college is a choice and a privilege--not a right! If you don't want to go to Virginia Tech because of the university drinking policies, go to another school or don't go to school at all. Bottom line: underage drinking is against the law, criminal information is publicly accessible, and VT has every right to contact parents if that's what they want to do.
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Let's see, the university is being sued a total of $63 million for not being a nanny to two students in their 20's. When they commit a horrendous crime or kill themselves everyone blames the school at the drop of a hat...even though they were adults.
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The university is being sued for not being a nanny? Wake up !!
It is being sued for gross negligent, for not doing the job.
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"for not doing the job" of looking after their mental health and informing their parents? The university also won't tell your parents if you contract a raging STD or if you are failing chemistry. I guess that would negligence too.
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Konw the law....http://higheredcenter.org/services/audiences/parents/notification
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Did not know that, thank you for the information.
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"Those who are paying have no obligation to give the university their parents contact info in the first place."
False. I pay to go this school out of my own personal accounts, and the school still requires emergency contact information for my parents. Otherwise, I cannot register. I would call that a requirement.
As for the kind person talking about "snot-nosed" drunks on-campus, please keep in mind that this does not apply only to on-campus students. If I get an alcohol violation off campus, my parents will still hear about it, provided the university hears about it- and, lets face it, they will find out in almost all cases. But I digress. Essentially, the argument here is that alcohol and drug usage does not give the university the right to transgress and individual's personal right to privacy. No one is guiltless; we have all committed crimes. If some of these transgressions (i.e. ones not involving alcohol or drugs) carry with them the right to privacy, and others do not afford the same right to privacy, then it follows that we are showing bias towards particular behavior. That is the issue, and to say that people are merely being cry-babies because there are ramifications for their actions is both ironically immature and patently naive.
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Article about booze has three times more comments then articles on war or abortion. Glad to see that Tech's bright students have their priorities straight.
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"I wish I could say this policy was illegal, but as we have seen with so many other abuses of school power  from requiring police officers to occasionally walk our halls to having drug policies that seem completely incoherent when compared to alcohol policies  the school has nearly unlimited power when dealing with behavioral rules."
How is having the police officers walk the halls an abuse of power? The officers are more likely to let you go than the RA's are... they are there for your protection not to babysit you. The drug policy is clear, if you get caught with drug you are gone... pretty clear to me.
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Quit crying and just don't get caught! If you get caught, suck it up and deal with it like the adult that you claim to be.
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Listen to all of this whining!!! LOL... since when were college students who dont know their limits ADULTS??? if you are 21 or 22 and STILL dont know when to sit the eff down and stop drinking you NEED to have your parents called! haha. I dont know if the school should do it or not, but id do it just to be an a$$hole because youve made an arse of yourself by thinking you could hang! LOL. No seriously, tho. The only people complaining are the people who dont have the foresight to realize that when they are parents, theyd love their children so much that they'd want to be told if their child was effing up too!
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