Should your school be allowed to punish you for ‘crimes’ not committed on campus?

By Hillary McNabb | Friday, May 26, 2006, 04:43 AM

I’ve been reading a lot lately that both in colleges and high schools across the country, school officials are creating rules that allow them to punish students in school for crimes or offenses that happen outside school and off school property.

There’s a story today about Ohio University in Athens, getting tougher on underage drinking*. Just between you and me, I’ve heard from fellow students that OU is a big party school, but that you don’t want to get busted for underage drinking there — it won’t be pretty. But now they’re taking it a step further…

“The new policy also introduces an automatic six-month probation for alcohol or drug offenses on campus and calls for suspending students who violate probation. And, those arrested for such misconduct off campus will be subject to university disciplinary action.” … Read more from the story

The other day I read about how HS students in one Illinois school district can now be punished for things they post on their MySpace accounts or blogs. If the students post these things on school computers, then by all means I can see where this is coming from. And if they post on their MySpace that they’re going to shoot up their school or something, then by all means, some form of action should be taken.

But the the thing that bothers me about these rules is this: When did it become the school’s (whether it’s HS or college) place to control its students off campus?

I’m 21 now, but if I had gone out and gotten drunk 9 months ago and gotten arrested I would have expected to face charges from the law. But from Sinclair (who as far as I know has no such policy)??? I don’t think so.

My opinion is that if it happens on campus or uses school equipment or property, then the school should have every right to punish the student per their rules. But not otherwise.

In high school, your parents are responsible for you (or at least they should be) and it should be their place to ground you or punish you (in addition to real criminal punishments) if you break the law, get in a fight, post that you hate [insert discriminated upon group here] on your blog, etc..

But once you’re in college, the big thing is that you’re on your own. I realize that many students have parents paying for their education, but those who aren’t? Should the school be permitted to inform their parents? I would venture to say that most college students are at least 18.

OU plans to notify parents of freshman and sophomores…

“When it takes effect this fall, parents will be informed whenever freshmen or sophomores under 21 and with fewer than 90 credit hours violate the university’s alcohol or drug rules. The current policy requires only parents of freshmen to be notified.”

When did 18 lose it’s importance as being an “adult”?

What’s your take? Should schools be allowed to punish you for things that happen outside school?

*To let it be known, I’m not for underage drinking. It’s against the law and you shouldn’t do it. I’m also not opposed to colleges trying to prevent underage drinking amongst their students, I just think this is the wrong way to go about it.

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ID theft a big fear for college students these days

By Hillary McNabb | Thursday, May 11, 2006, 02:29 AM

Are you worried that all that personal info you gave to the college of your choice upon registration is going to end up in the wrong hands? The hands of a hacker.

I am.

Last week, Ohio University revealed that their databases had been hacked into and that thousands of students’ (mostly alumni) information could be vulnerable. And in April, The University of Texas at Austin announced a similar situation.

The scariest part? Social Security numbers were included in that vulnerable info.

It’s bad enough that losing your wallet, not shredding pre-approved credit card offers (Read: JUNK MAIL) you get in the mail and other seemingly innocent things make it easy for your identity to be stolen or your credit to be ruined by someone who’s definitely not you. But now, the place we trust to educate us can’t be trusted to keep required information safe?

Some area schools have started taking precautions to prevent this sort of thing from happening to them. But is it enough?

Are you worried? What do you think can be done to stop this scary new trend in hacking?

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Another year over…

By Cindy | Friday, May 5, 2006, 06:27 PM

This past week was my last one as a junior in college. It’s almost bittersweet. It means that I only have one more year until I earn a degree that will make me more money than slightly above minimum wage, and of putting myself farther in debt getting there. But it also means I only have one more year to pretend like whether or not to go to class or wondering what the oppurtunity cost of of typing a few more paragraphs of that paper versus going out with some friends is. Freshman year, I had to be pulled from campus practically kicking and screaming. Last year, I was still somewhat reluctant, but this year I was completely ready to go when my parents pulled up with the minivan. I was sick of the tests, the papers, the impossible professors, and the nights where I thought 4 hours of sleep were a blessing.

This past year holds so many memories. I got to see Ben Folds in concert, Anthony Rapp as a speaker, and got to try salsa dancing. I planned and held my first “big” event, which was an alumnae event for my sorority. I attended ‘80’s Night for the first time, reconnected with friends from home, and spent more hours than I care to think about at my computer typing up papers. For the second time in my college career, one of my professors was diagnosed with cancer and had to go on medical leave, but our class pulled together and gave a presentation at the Ohio Council for Social Studies conference. But the things that I’ll remember the most years from now are the little things I can’t think of now. Those little moments spent with all my friends, especially all of those graduating tomorrow. Right now I think that if I hear the Beta Bells chime one more time, I would go crazy, but there will be a time in the near future where I’ll miss them.

How about you? Do you have any favorite memories from this year, or any time in your college career? If you’re graduating what are the things you’ll miss the most? Alumni, when you think of your college career, what sticks out to you? Let us know!

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Who voted?

By Mark McGregor | Thursday, May 4, 2006, 02:15 PM

Who cared enough to make it to the polls Tuesday? I cared, but there was no way I could have made it due to time constraints. And an absentee ballot seemed a moot point since I live just 20 minutes from my Clayton polling location. But then again, I don’t live there anymore, which makes me just plain absent anyway.

Heck, do they even do absentee ballots for lesser (meaning not presidential) elections? I don’t know, never had to use one.

After all is said and done, I was a hypocrite this time around. I spouted off enough about the need to vote on the editorial page of Sinclair Community College’s newspaper. Then, the day came and went without nary a vote from me. I failed democracy; guilty as charged.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one. Here’s a story by Dayton Daily News that deals with the very topic of not voting. Click the link! Fewer than a quarter of voters showed up. Or, if you want to comment on the election yourself, click this link: Speak up about election results.

Anyone else in my position? Just wondering how important voting is to all you busy college students. It seems that, as students, we all have an excuse to get out of something that doesn’t seem an immediate priority, like elections, which are in fact an immediate priority.

Check out the election results on DaytonDailyNews.com.

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This blog tastes stale. Can you blame us?

By Mark McGregor | Monday, May 1, 2006, 02:18 PM

For the first time in weeks, I’ve had a minute to bite into the the Higher Education blog and boy does it taste stale. After all, the blog was left open three weeks ago with an entry on computer dependency.

It’s obvious that said computer dependency does not include such things as blogging. It would be fair to note, however, that computer dependency for us college students is more likely to involve research for class at this time.

A description of what makes me happy, sad, tired, etc. as a college student is just not a priority, if I may speak for myself.

Keep up the hard work in your classes, fellow bloggers - the end is near.

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