Pubdate: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 Source: Athens News, The (OH) Copyright: 2006, Athens News Contact: http://www.athensnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603 Author: John Wing, Athens NEWS Campus Reporter Referenced: Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.DAREgeneration.com Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?219 (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) STUDENT SENATE CITES MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH DRAFT ALCOHOL POLICY Lack of initial student input, parental notification, choice of counselors and stiffer penalties are concerns that Student Senate has with the Alcohol Response Task Force's proposed changes to Ohio University's alcohol policy. Student Senate passed a resolution last Wednesday that "condemned" the lack of student input in the task force's recommended changes. The resolution asks for the task force's proposal to be sent back to committee, with the addition of five student representatives. "Enabling Student Senators to question the policy after its creation is no substitute for inclusion in the initial development of such a plan," the resolution declared. After a debate over whether or not the language used was too "harsh," the Senate passed the resolution 19 to 12 with three abstaining. A copy was to be sent to OU President Roderick McDavis, members of the task force and others. McDavis will decide whether the proposal will go back to committee and what, if any, changes will eventually be made to the proposal. The effort to strengthen penalties for alcohol offenses stems from the administration's alarm at a perceived increase in alcohol-fueled problems on campus and in the community in recent years. Student Senate President Brian Footer said he had no knowledge of the task force's proposal until he received a copy after returning from winter break. The task force was formed last June by Dean of Students Terry Hogan. Footer said last week that he doesn't think that the exclusion of students was intentional but he doesn't understand why Senate would be invited to be a part of the Vision Ohio committees and not the Alcohol Response Task Force. Judy Piercy, assistant vice president for student affairs and interim director of residence life, serves on the task force that presented the proposal to Student Senate last Wednesday. She said that it was always the intention to get student input and that is what is happening now. "I certainly understand the Senate's concern; I do and it depends where you view your input," she said. "Obviously, they would liked to have been involved right from day one. The committee wanted to get people's input after we got a recommendation together, which is what we are doing now." The task force presented the finished proposal to three student organizations: Student Senate, the Council of Student Leaders and the Resident Life Council. The proposal was also given to OU's Review and Standards Committee on which four students sit. Student Senate has formed the Special Committee on Alcohol Response to examine the alcohol proposal and make recommendations for changes that will be given to McDavis. Footer said that one concern is the stiffer penalty of suspension that would be associated with probation violation. A student on probation for an alcohol violation who then violates the alcohol policy again would be automatically suspended. It is unclear in the proposal whether a student on probation for a non-alcohol related violation could still be suspended for an alcohol violation. "If we suspend them are we staying true to the academic educational basis?" asked Footer. "Because once they're gone, you have no way to teach them anymore; they are no longer physically here." Piercy said that more severe consequences will act as a deterrent and provide a more consistent approach to sentencing, which has not been the case in the past. Another part of the proposal that the senate president is concerned about is the notification of the parents of students who are under 21 and violate OU's alcohol policy. "What kind of respect do we have of students when we kind of undermine them by going straight to their parents and telling them how bad they've been?" asked Footer. There have been requests by parents for earlier notification, said Piercy. She also said that the point of notifying parents is to provide more support for the student. Tom Angell, campaigns director for Students for Sensible Drug Policies in Washington, DC, said that although universities have the right to notify parents SSDP believes they should choose not to. SSDP is a group that advocates changes to current laws and regulations that address drug abuse among college students. An OU chapter of the group several years ago successfully protested the university's proposed stiffening of penalties for possession and use of small quantities of marijuana. OU ultimately rejected the proposed changes. "These policies are treating students like children instead of the adults that they are," said Angell of the alcohol rule changes at OU. The university already puts some students who are arrested by the Athens Police Department through the judiciary process. However, the proposal calls for all students who are arrested to go through campus judiciaries. This is an area that both Footer and Angell expressed concern about. "Young people who get into trouble with the law are going to see serious punishment," said Angell. "These are young people who are trying to become productive, successful, tax-paying citizens by earning a college degree. There is no reason to look for extra reasons to punish them to prevent them from moving on with their lives and being successful in school." PIERCY SAID THAT BECAUSE OU and Athens are connected on so many levels, it is important to have the Athens Police Department share this information with OU so "that we can assist the larger Athens community in having a favorable, positive city." Another member of the task force, Mac Stricklen, assistant director of university judiciaries, described APD referrals of arrested students to OU judiciaries as "overlapping circles of expectations." "If I had a job where part of my job expectation was to have a clean driving record and then I had X number of moving violations, I am accountable to traffic court but I'm also accountable to my employer because both expected something from me," said Stricklen. "It just happened that those expectations both met in the same behavior." Theoretically, the power of OU to send students arrested by law enforcement through the judiciary process does not stop at the Athens city limits, though in practice it does in most cases. According to the OU student code of conduct, students represent the university wherever they go and if they are arrested in their hometown, in theory they could be subject to OU judicial action. "There is usually not a reporting relationship there," acknowledged Stricklen, however. "If for some reason the Detroit Police Department decided to start screening their arrest list for OU students and informing us, sending us narratives of police reports, we could very well begin to respond to that." Under the proposed system, students who violate OU's alcohol policy would be given an "alcohol audit." The results of the audit, which is designed as a questionnaire, would act as a guideline for determining which educational program the student would be required to take. These educational programs are the Second Chance Program, Prime for Life, BASICS, Bridging the Gap, and one-on-one alcohol assessment. Under the proposal, students would not be permitted to use outside educational programs in lieu of the university programs, although they can use outside counselors if they wish for the alcohol assessment. Stricklen, a member of the alcohol task force, said this is because parts of the educational program are specific to OU such as Bridging the Gap, which outlines the code of conduct and the penalties that are associated with repeat offenses. "Internal consistency, so that when a student is at stage Y in the judicial process we have a base line of what they were exposed to when they were at stage X," explained Stricklen. Hector Flores, director of Flores and Associates, Inc., offers Court Alcohol Substance Educational Programs for under-age offenders. People who are convicted by the court system can take the educational class and have their record expunged of the arrest, unlike an alcohol violation given by OU that stays on students' records. Flores voiced concern that companies might be able to access student's records and then could use that information to screen for potential high-risk employees that might be more likely to use the company's health insurance. "Companies have also done enough research to realize that between the ages of 16 to 25, if you have been caught with two minor misdemeanors with drugs or alcohol, you are six to nine times at greater risk of using your health insurance," said Flores. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act protects access to student's academic records, which also covers OU judicial records. This information cannot be accessed unless the student gives permission. "Companies are not stupid; they are going to ask you to sign waivers to check your credit reference, to check your medical history. They are going to check your driver's license," said Flores. "The higher up in a corporation, the more they are going to check." Students who rate on the highest end of the alcohol audit would be sent to OU's Counseling and Psychological Services for alcohol assessment. While the option is not listed in the proposal, Piercy said that students could go to a different counselor if they wished. However they would have to pay for any outside services themselves while all OU students can receive counseling from OU for free. "We've let them do that in the past. I'm sure we would again," said Piercy. Materials and assistants will be needed for the programs as well as a possible increase in the judiciary staff, said Piercy. The task force recommended that the educational programs be funded by fines collected from students who receive alcohol violations. Piercy said that fines were proposed because they act as a deterrent to offenders and because they ensure that the money for the programs will come from the students who have to go through them rather than from the student body. The amount of the fines has not yet been determined, said Piercy. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake