On Wednesday Ohio University unveiled another strategic comprehensive plan of action for the standardization of policies for the cohesion of Ohio University community members and area residents. The plan is related to disciplinary policies related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages of those under the legal consuming age or other alcohol-related offenses.
Let me weed through all of the PR talk for you: If you drink, you could automatically get six months of probation.
That includes going to an off campus party and committing an alcohol-related offense. The fortress of Cutler Hall has extended its grasp on the town and will punish you for any violations that occur within Athens.
Judith Piercy, co-chair of the Coalition Advocating Responsible Drinking Decisions, said students who violate their probations could face suspension, except in extenuating circumstances, according to an article in yesterday's Post.
I know I'm drinking underage
but I just got dumped and I really needed some alcohol to rid myself of the pain of life.
Well why didn't you say so? That fits right in with our Extenuating Circumstances Clause!
The revisions are allowing the university to have a set punishment instead of disciplining on a case-by-case basis. Apparently, there are no extenuating circumstances before going on probation.
The revisions to the policy also include more educational efforts and alternative late-night activities. I'm not sure what the late-night activities will be, but I wonder if anyone who would participate in said activities would have not been drinking anyway, or if they would have just changed their plans to drink earlier in the night.
But OU President Roderick McDavis said, This policy is in the best interest of our students and the best interests of Ohio University. So the policy must be the best, too. After all, if he were wrong, maybe the Board of Trustees would see the importance of allowing the faculty to evaluate the president and provost annually.
I don't really think the change in the alcohol policy is bad. Students should learn in their first week at college what the best way to hide alcohol and heavy drinking in their rooms is. It's their fault if they can't figure it out and get in trouble for it, so it's nice that the university finally implemented a consistent policy.
What I don't understand is why parents are notified for a crime committed by a legal adult who knows he or she was doing something illegal. The policy allows the university to ground the students for six months ' do they expect the parents to continue that punishment when the student returns home?
I wonder if OU will start doing this for all illegal activities ' such as driving when your blood alcohol content is over the legal limit, or if you refuse to give a breathalyzer when you are noticeably intoxicated with your car facing the wrong way on a one-way street.
If the university is going to notify parents when their children are breaking the law and university policy in regards to alcohol, maybe it should notify them when their children violate the university's policy on academic misconduct. Plagiarism and underage drinking are both illegal. Maybe the university should look at them with similar attitudes.
My biggest concern with the revisions to the alcohol policy is our standing in the competition to become the No. 1 party school in the country. This is a step in the complete opposite direction. The university must really care about the value of its graduates to make sure their degrees not tainted by the party school label.
If only they cared enough about the academic reputation of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology to educate the master's students about plagiarism and take action to ensure no one would be able to get their master's degrees if they plagiarized.
If only they cared enough about their graduates to make sure their vital, secret information was kept secret on the network, which apparently isn't secure enough to prevent identity theft.
If only they cared enough to do something to help those students, alumni and donors who had their identities and money stolen.
If only they cared enough about what the faculty thought and would actually allow them to evaluate the president and provost.
If only the university weren't so concerned about baby-sitting the adults enrolled at this institution, they could actually help us all reach the highest star.
17
Archives
Cheryl Sadler
