A potential policy which would notify parents of their students' alcohol and drug arrests was not well-received by Student Senators Wednesday.
Brian Farber of the Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Parental Notification Task Force came to the Student Senate meeting looking for feedback on the possible policy.
If enacted, a letter would be sent to parents of students under the age of 21 if the students are arrested for a drug or alcohol violation. Violations could occur on or off campus.
"We believe this will help establish a partnership with parents and result in a positive influence to protect students," Farber said.
The violations would be judged on a case-by-case basis. Farber said this would prevent students and parents with a negative relationship from getting into a bad situation.
The student must supply a valid reason why the letter should be waived. But a committee would determine if the reason was good enough.
Still, Senators questioned the idea.
"Isn't it better for students to tell their parents themselves?" Jared Simmons asked. "If anyone under 21 gets caught, they are going to need their parents' help anyway."
Farber said although open relationships exist between parents and students, the letter would detail a way for the university to work with students and parents to handle the consequences.
"This is something minors do willingly," secretary Joe Flores said. "If you are over 18, you are a legal adult."
Flores and other members argued that a person at the age of 18 is considered an adult and should be able to deal with these issues without parental involvement.
If a student is caught, a letter will be sent to parents in the summer notifying them of the violation, thus giving students enough time to tell their parents before it arrives, Farber said.
Farber said the university has authorization to send these letters from the 1998 Family Educational Right to Privacy Act. He said many universities use the policy, including Miami (Ohio), and it has been successful.
After the discussion, Senators elected Nick Zuniga as President pro tempore for the Tolu Olowomeye administration. President Olowomeye appointed Dan Goyaux as director of Academic Affairs, Russell Bennett as chief of staff and LaNette Sims as chairwoman of Intercultural Affairs.
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