Pubdate: Mon, 04 Feb 2008
Source: Diamondback, The (U of MD Edu)
Copyright: 2008 Diamondback
Contact:  http://www.diamondbackonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/758

BLESSED DISCRETION

Our View: Resident Life's move to replace their A- and  B-level 
system of housing sanctions is good news for  students, but requires 
their input for sound  implementation.

"Reason to rule but mercy to forgive: the first is law;  the last, 
prerogative."

- - John Dryden

We commend the Resident Life Department, which devotes  itself to 
promoting a rightful sense of place for  students in the dorms, for 
proposing to eliminate their  A- and B-level system of housing 
sanctions. The change  will allow administrators to more accurately 
punish  violations in a manner commensurate with the offense,  rather 
than being hog-tied by an antiquated policy.

Open-ended policies such as these, where officials are  given the 
discretion to handle individual situations  instead of blindly 
obeying regulations, also lead to  better enforcement.

Imagine if the university instituted a zero-tolerance  academic 
integrity policy. Many professors would be  hesitant to report 
students caught cheating because  they would realize the gravity of 
automatically getting  expelled from school. Resident Life's current 
punitive  policy creates an analogous situation for resident  assistants.

We are optimistic that the department's extensive  heirarchy will be 
able to accommodate the added  workload accompanying the policy 
change and that  Resident Life will be able to accurately assess each 
student's predicament.

The unintended consequences of the current policy  should serve as a 
warning to student leaders, letting  them know they must maintain a 
guarded demeanor during  this restructuring phase to ensure students' 
rights are  protected.

We applaud Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the  Student Government 
Association and the Residence Hall  Association for having the 
courage to stand up to  administrators and not merely serve as a 
mouthpiece for  the administration but, rather, urge them to 
remain  soberly aware that the interests of students 
and  administrators are often at odds. Students are here to  get an 
affordable education and participate in the  social revelries 
typically associated with college life  and administrators are here 
to protect both students  and the financial health of their departments.

Policies that make sense from an administrative point  of view are 
rarely optimal for students. Whether it's  Resident Life's current 
sanctioning policies, which  seem intended to simplify the punitive 
process, Dining  Services' cumbersome meal-plan alternatives, which 
try  to maintain base costs while giving students more  options for 
eating on the campus, or Transportation  Services' ridiculous rate 
hikes, which were intended to  deter parking infractions, student 
input is critical  for pointing out the flaws in policies and 
striving to  remove them.

Without a culture of respectful dissent, students'  rights crumble 
and we all lose.

POLICY:The signed letters, columns and cartoon  represent only the 
opinions of the authors. The staff  editorial represents the opinion 
of The Diamondback's  editorial board and is the responsibility of 
the editor  in chief.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart