When I was Dean of Students, a student once argued that his third alcohol violation should really be considered his first.
Here’s why: During the first violation, he said, a staff member stumbled on the alcohol by accident and the second infraction involved only one beer.
If we were going to use that reasoning, I told him, he likely had violated the alcohol policy many other times, but he never got caught.
He simply smiled.
And so goes the life of a student conduct officer. In truth, most violations, as with these, are minor. Nevertheless, campuses work hard to be consistent in applying standards of conduct.
During summer and new student orientation programs, families might not hear much about campus alcohol, drug and anti-harassment policies and procedures. Certainly, there are reassurances that the college has standards and maintains control of under-age drinking and other dangers. But orientation is a time of new starts and celebrations – and many students progress through college without ever coming in conflict with campus policies.
It really isn’t until the first residence hall meetings that students will start to learn about rules – mostly relating to living on campus.
As parents, what should you pay attention to and be informed about on the conduct front? Let’s start with some basics:
Why do universities care about enforcing rules?
As someone who has been involved in enforcing/upholding campus rules for 40 years, I can tell you that campus rules are primarily in place for the safety and comfort of students. The rules and policies are designed for the violators of the rules and those who deal with the negative consequences of the violators.
As parents, you understand this. Given your emotional and financial investments, you want your students to sleep and live in an environment that fosters their academic growth, development, and success. As you may recall from personal experience, it is hard to succeed when wall mates are having parties, roommates are bringing in unwanted overnight guests, or there are illegal drugs in living spaces. You want your student focused on studies rather than debilitating social behaviors. And most of all, you want your student to be safe from bullying, harassment, assault, violence, and hazing.
What is the campus role in conduct?
Remember, for many students, this is their first time on their own, and they have been bombarded with media-driven portrayals of the college experience. Many are experimenting and testing limits and boundaries. In an educational setting, your campus likely has set some important and idealistic goals through their conduct offices and officers. Those aims are not meaningless and can be applied when students deviate from expectations. Many times, I held up the term “community of scholars” in contrast to student behaviors in my conduct hearings. It is not scholarly or good for the community when a drunk student vomits in the residence hall stairwell, for example.
Usually those who are accused of violating policies are reported by residence hall staff (often student Resident Assistants/Advisors) or campus police. Depending on the violation, the incident will be referred to a staff member or panel to review the matter, determine responsibility, and prescribe sanctions, if applicable.
While such entities hold students accountable, they strive to educate students about their actions. This teaching component shouldn’t be underestimated. Except in the most egregious instances, students have simply messed up. Learning about taking responsibility, facing consequences, and considering their impact on others is important. Action that is corrective and not overly punitive is often sufficient and effective. (And if you are wondering, most courts prefer campuses to manage their own conduct issues because it is often effective and does not clog up the local dockets.)
What are the most common reasons students get in trouble?
Usually, underage or excessive drinking are at the root of most violations. Campuses generally have policies barring underage drinking because federal law requires it in order to receive federal aid, including student aid. More so, because of the prevalence of binge-drinking and boorish behavior by those who are intoxicated, campus officials understand that the environment is much safer, and less disruptive, if some guardrails are put in place. The secondary impact of alcohol consumption is significant, and can include risky behaviors, noise, fights, vandalism, and sexual assault.
Drugs are often the next most common violations, especially as marijuana has become more mainstream legally. Finally, any behaviors that are disruptive or detrimental to the health, safety, and well-being of the campus and local community are usually swiftly addressed. These can include things like tampering with fire alarms, throwing things out windows at others (think water balloons), having weapons, propping open locked public-access doors, and vandalizing neighborhoods near campus.
As parents you may have two reactions to all of this. One – this won’t be an issue for my student (though you might be surprised!). Or two – okay, you have my attention. I’ve met my kid. Here are some conversation starters:
Do the right thing
Rarely do students or parents read the student handbook until after the student has violated a policy. Thus, I have always felt that it is important to look at values associated with policies. Stress to your student to respect others, the community, and property. Generally, following golden rules can ensure that most behaviors are compliant with campus guidelines.
Discuss consequences of substance abuse and misuse
This is a topic that shouldn’t be ignored. Underage drinking is a lot like speeding. Many people do it and will risk getting caught. Excessive drinking is more akin to a DUI. The problem is, drunk people tend to get loud, unruly, and uncoordinated. In other words, they draw attention to themselves. What is more, they are more likely to hurt themselves or others. Preaching abstinence probably won’t be effective. But encouraging moderation, pacing of consumption, and control, might be a good place to start. Smoking marijuana, by its nature, often draws attention because of the smell. Students have been creative in trying to mask smells to little avail.
On campus, it is better for everyone to follow policies. Room parties are disruptive and often result in staff write-ups. Off campus, risky behaviors can be more dangerous. There is less supervision. And it won’t be RAs or campus police writing reports – it will be local law enforcement. As a result, students may face criminal and campus consequences.
Reinforce that sometimes secondary violations are worse than the presenting ones
I can’t tell you how many times in my work a minor violation escalated when students ran from officials, cursed at staff, or were otherwise combative and belligerent. Such behavior is not congruent with campus values about taking responsibility in academic environments and treating others with respect.
Most times, students are testing limits or getting caught up in the moment – and simply make a minor mistake. If this happens with your student, join your campus officials in addressing these issues, discussing how to manage future situations, and expressing your expectations and future consequences. And then move on. If a pattern emerges, then you may have more serious discussions and institute different parameters moving forward.
About the author: David Tuttle spent over 30 years in higher education in Residential Life and Student Affairs and has sent four children to college. He is the proprietor of a student and parent assistance service, PROsper Collegiate, LLC. Contact him here: david@prospercollegiate.com.
