UGa will try calling boozers/druggies parents
 

UGA to report booze violators
Parental notification approved

By KELLY SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/04/05

ATHENS — The University of Georgia will begin calling parents if their underage students commit some alcohol-related offenses, under a policy approved by the president's Cabinet on Thursday.

The Parental Notification Policy allows school officials to contact parents after a student under age 21 is found to have violated the campus drug or alcohol policy for a second time. The school also will call parents if there is significant property damage related to alcohol or drug use, if a student's health or the health of others are in danger, or if a student's behavior negatively affects the learning environment at UGA.
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UGA's student conduct regulations prohibit the unlawful possession, use or distribution of alcohol and other drugs by students and student organizations.

President Michael Adams said the policy is an attempt to rein in escalating problems associated with alcohol use by students. Adams has said previously he is troubled by recent incidents, including one in December in which a student was severely burned while playing a drinking game.

Senior William Flynn Miller IV, 21, sustained second-degree burns when a lantern caught a bottle of 190-proof alcohol on fire.

"This is not done, I think, by the administration in a sense of any kind of retribution, but is clearly out of a growing concern for the health and well-being of students," Adams said.

UGA's action mirrors that taken by other colleges and universities.

Georgia Tech imposed a parental notification policy in fall 2000. That policy allows the university to call parents when a student under 21 violates campus policies on alcohol and drugs, when students endanger themselves or others, or when the dean of students determines that future violations would likely result in a student's being removed from campus housing or expelled from school.

Cool, the kids aren't adults or anything are they?

If I were paying my way and the university did that, I'd be pissed.

i did pay my own way through school and the university called my parents about something once (long story as to why) but i was so ticked. I mean, i was an adult, i did not break the law, which is slightly different then what is happening here) but then my parents where all "concerend about me" Well the thing is that my parents were abusive and i went away to california to get away from them. The university involving my parents was completely out of line. Guess it would make more sence if you knew the story, but lets just say that the university had no right to call my parents and they did. Then my parents kept coming to visit (at the universities request) and it just made everything way harder and dreadged up all the issues of abuse that i was trying to escape. Ohh my god, if i had more energy i would have seen if i could have sued the university. But i didnt and i transferred schools. well that solved the problem.


I guess i can see where the university is comming from, like hey do you know what you kids are doing. And as far as drinking that could be in response to the deaths that have occured and possible the university is doing this so that they will not be held liable by the parents. I have read many of the articles relating to alcohol related deaths and there seem to always be comments from the parents saying something to the tune of if we only knew. Now i don't think this will help cause i know many parents that do not take responsibility of actually raising their children and only get invovled after a major problem. I use to work in an elementary and middle school and saw this all the time. once the kid had gotten suspended for getting in fights and the parents had to come pick up their kid the parents would be like, "oh, why was i not informed before now, why are you doing this to my pour little kid". Like sending notes home that were signed was not enought.

just a result of our society, i think. And it would be stupid to call someones parents if the adult student did not want the parent involved in their live.

but when does in loco parente run out?
high school sure...
but college? unless it's a physical injury, the rest seems excessive.

Most colleges eliminated the concept of in loco parentis during the late 60s/early 70s. I'm sure there are a few (Bob Jones, anyone?) who may still have that policy.

In my experience, parents are contacted if and only if the student will be sent to a disciplinary hearing regarding something that they've done while drunk, or if they have sustained serious physical injury. This is probably the same thing that will happen at UGA.

Regarding independent students, unless you have DOCUMENTED PROOF that you are independent, the administration still considers parents next of kin and will contact them in the event of an emergency. I've seen letters written by attorneys and judges to this effect, so simply saying, "oh, I pay my own way," or "I don't talk with my parents" isn't enough--because anyone can say that. For better or for worse, the university considers parents as the primary contact point as well as the financially responsible party, so unless you tell them IN WRITING that that's not the case in your life, sorry.

I think there is a difference between your parents being contacted because munchkin got her foot chopped off and munchkin caught with a 6-pack (insert picture of munchkin looking like a deer caught in the headlights with a 6pack of Guiness)

If you were arrested for murder, the police wouldn't send a letter to your parents.

Obviously the administration is just trying to influence student behavior . . . . I am just not sure its ethical.

I would, too, but it's the parents who will sue the university for failing to warn them that their precious angel was pounding Everclear every night, so I can understand why they want to do this.

That being said, most students, especially the ones who are drinking irresponsibly, are getting some financial support from their parents.

That's what puts the university between the proverbial rock and hard place.

Some are doing this out of perceived self defense.

It you look at a lot of the posts either here or on other bulletin boards, you will find more and more litigation including the university and administration -- along with anyone else even remotely involved.

If you ever have a big problem with someone, call their mom.

Yeah that's right. Call their mom. You can all laugh now.

I had a dick roommate one year who hadn't put in his share of the deposit for our apartment. We called his mom. There was a fedex envelope the next day with the deposit in it.

I have a lot of faith in peoples' moms.

-Rudey

I love how even in the example they quote, the kid is 21, so this policy wouldn't apply to him anyway.

I have a friend who is an RA here, and he's told me that apparently they have started employing this rule in the dorms here when a kid has broken some rule. My RA friend thought this rule was bullisht and so did I. When I was in the dorms, I was 18 AND I was paying for my own housing costs, so my parents had no responsibility over the situation whatsoever. Furthermore, for me and most of my friends -- our parents KNEW we drink. You have to be kidding yourself if your kid goes to this school and you think that they don't ever drink, unless they're sitting at home alone in their room all the time. So calling my parents up and saying, "Oh, Heather and her friends got caught at a party on Friday night, drinking underage" would lead my parents to respond, "Yeah, we already knew that."

Then there are the situations like alphaalpha's where calling parents can lead to an even worse situation.

And overall, I don't think that the best way to promote responsibility regarding drinking is to treat these students like they're still 15. You treat somebody like a kid, they're going to act like a kid.

AMEN, i can see the litigation angle. I do think it is rediculous for the parents to sue the school cause their child was drinking at a party and got hurt or worse. I mean really did the university make the child go to the parety, NO. Did the university make the child drink alcohol, NO. But somehow the university is responsible? Its just kinda of crazy in my opinion.