Campuses Divided on Alcohol Policies

University officials across the nation are debating over an amendment that makes it possible for officials to contact the parents of underage students who have violated campus drug and alchohol policies.

Sparking a change in university policies, the 1998 amendment to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act grants universities the option of notifying parents when students under 21 are caught violating alcohol policy, whether students are financially dependant on their parents.

Donald Appairius, UNC's assistant dean of students, said he believes officials' desires to respect the privacy of students is the main reason against implementing a parental notification system at the University and does not believe there have been plans to change campus disciplinary policies.

Appairius added that campus alcohol offenses are handled through administrative offices while drug offenses are handled through the UNC Honor Court.

He also said the decision to allow parental notification policies should be handled by campus officials, depending on the needs of a particular campus. "I think it is a matter of schools choosing their own approach that is in harmony with the culture of the school."

Rob Turrisi, Boise State University associate psychology professor, said he also thinks individual schools should decide what policies should be implemented. But he said he has some reservations about how the policies will be enforced, including how to handle a large influx of weekend violations.

But Vincent Nix, assistant dean of students at Washington State University, said he has been pleased with the results of the school's parental notification system since it began in August.

Nix said there has been a reduction in the number of repeat student violations. "We've only had four repeated offenders, and those four occurred during the first week of classes," he said.

But he added that the reduction in repeat offenses also can be attributed in students choosing to drink more responsibly. "I think it's a combination of some people not drinking and some people putting safeguards in place," Nix said.

He said Washington State officials do not call parents but instead have students make the contact in the presence of an administrator. He added that he believes students generally respond positively to the threat of parental notification because most rely on their parents for financial support.

But Turrisi said that while officials seem to be divided on the best way to handle alcohol and drug violations on their campuses, there appears to be a consensus that changes are needed. "We're all trying to come up with solutions."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.