Drinkers beware, new rules apply
By: Adam Schifani
Issue date: 9/16/08 Section: News
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A Tennessee bill passed May 20 requires the Office of Judicial Affairs and Ethical Programs to notify the parents of a student who is under the age of 21 if the student is caught in the possession of alcohol or controlled substances. Dwayne Scott, associate dean of students, said the judicial affairs must contact the parents in writing to inform them their underage student has been caught with illegal substances.
Compared to other universities, The University of Memphis does not have many reported cases of students caught drinking, said Peter Groenendyk, associate director of Residence Life and Dining Services.
The U of M had 32 reported cases in 2005-2006, 44 cases in 2006-2007 and 57 cases in 2007-2008. These numbers are much lower than other universities. Gronendyk, who worked at a public university in Missouri, said the number of reported alcohol violations on the campus ranged from 550 to 1,300 cases a year.
With the small amount of cases, the Office of Judicial Affairs and Ethical Programs has time to deal with each case. Scott said each case is different, and the disciplinary sanctions are different for each case.
"Depending on the severity of the case, a student normally pays a $50 fine for their first offense, and other sanctions might be probation, assigning the student a reflective paper on alcohol or talking to the psychology department about the impact of alcohol in the short term and long term," Scott said.
Punishment could be as severe as being asked to move out of the dorm. This could happen if a student has a party in his or her dorm with a lot of alcohol or the student is in possession of a large amount of alcohol said Scott. The case also depends on the level of intoxication.
"The sanctions can change depending on if a student is caught with an empty beer can on his or her dresser, acutely intoxicated, belligerently drunk, or endangering themselves or others," Scott said.
Chris Johnston, senior Spanish major, was caught drinking on campus in 2003 by campus police. He was caught when a friend who was not a U of M student was too drunk to walk by himself. A police officer saw him stumbling and stopped the group to question them, Johnston said.
The police held Johnston and his friends in the lobby of Richardson Towers. His heavily intoxicated friend was sent to the hospital, and Johnston's friends who were not U of M students were told to leave the campus and not to come back.
Several weeks later, Johnston said, he received a summons from judicial affairs. He had to pay a $25 fine and he was on probation for the next year. He was also ordered to go to psychological counseling for alcohol awareness and write a reflection paper about his experience.
Johnston said after his experience, he did not hear of any alcohol violations in Richardson Towers, but several students were caught with illegal drugs and expelled from The U of M.
Other universities have differing policies toward alcohol. In 2006, the University of Mississippi started a new policy with alcohol violations. The policy states that if a student receives two violations, the student will be suspended from the university.