Alcohol related deaths could impact dorm privacy

By Dylan Sands

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

If a room in the residence halls is rocking, the University might do more than come knocking. A proposal at the University might allow staff members to enter students’ rooms if they have reasonable suspicion that drugs or alcohol are being consumed.

The University has been re-evaluating its stance on alcohol use on campus in the wake of two student deaths earlier this year. A recently formed alcohol task force met for the first time Tuesday afternoon to discuss changes in the University’s alcohol policies.

The current policy on searching residence halls allows students to deny entry to resident assistants. Supervisors need a search warrant to enter a student’s room, even if they suspect drugs or alcohol are being consumed inside. The proposed policy entails a series of steps whereby a supervisor could enter a student’s room on suspicion.

Jack Martin, deputy director of communications for the University, outlined the steps. If there is a reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol use or other violations and a resident refuses to let a resident assistant in, the RA could then find a senior staff member and again ask for permission to enter the room. If the student refuses entry twice and two housing staff members agree there is reasonable suspicion to enter the room, they can then use a master key to open the door.

Martin said the reasonable suspicion policy could apply toward other residence hall violations, but the focus would be on preventing alcohol abuse.

“There is always potential for other policy violations, but drug and alcohol are the ones that have got most attention,” Martin said.

Martin said the policy was not aimed at invading the privacy of hall residents, but rather at protecting residents as a whole regardless of their behavior.

“What this comes down to is that one of the main reasons students choose campus housing is they expect it to be a safe place to study,” Martin said. “If we can’t enforce rules like the policies on drugs and alcohol then their rights aren’t being protected.”

Mason Heilman, student body president, said the proposal would be considered by student senate before any decision could be made on the policy. He also said he thought it was important to provide a safe environment for all hall residents.

“The halls are there to provide a living environment that is conducive to being in college and provide areas where you can relax,” Heilman said. “I don’t have a definite feeling either way; I can see both sides. I would lean more towards this is an invasion of privacy, but it’s important to take into account students that aren’t in violation.”

Heilman said students who live in the halls currently have the same rights as a tenant of an off-campus apartment.

“The issue with that is there is the document called the Code of Students Rights and Responsibilities that says students give up none of their rights as tenants,” Heilman said. “Clearly, no one can come into your apartment without a search warrant.”

Heilman said the code of students’ rights and responsibilities would have to be amended to allow room searches.

“This is still in the proposal phase,” Martin said. “We’re talking about how do we reduce the instances of excessive and underage drinking among KU students. We’ve seen the tragic consequences that can result in injuries and even death.”

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for the office of student success, held the first meeting of the new University Alcohol Task Force Tuesday. Roney cited recent student deaths as cause for alarm regarding alcohol abuse on campus.

“We decided we really need to double our efforts in light of what went on this spring and bring people together in a new way,” Roney said.

The task force is comprised of students, Greek officials and University staff and faculty. Roney, who mentioned being a resident assistant herself in the past, said the University needed to “step back and evaluate” the residence hall policy of granting residents the same rights that off-campus tenants have. She said some students had learned to deny entry to resident assistants and were exploiting the loophole. Roney added that the new policies would need to find a balance between respecting privacy and promoting safety.

“It can become a heated issue when it comes to individual rights,” Roney said. “I do hope we have a healthy discussion between students and administration.” Ralph Oliver, chief of the office of public safety and member of the task force, said the current policy relied on search warrants, which took a considerable amount of time to get.

“We can pull a search warrant if we get called to a certain room twice,” Oliver said.

He added that the average time it took to get a warrant was about four hours.

Jennifer Wamelink, associate director of the department of student housing, said she hoped new policy changes would help limit police involvement.

“We’re not interested in punishing our students criminally,” Wamelink said. “Opening the door enables staff to talk to students and have an educational conversation. The goal is not to punish; it’s to hold students to their contract.”

Roney said that student senate code was usually revised every other year and that it was revised last year. She said that the University and the student senate would make an exception this year to review the code on students’ rights in the residence halls.

Roney said she did not want to set unrealistic goals in making changes with the task force.

“This is not about abstinence,” Roney said. “It’s about responsibility.”

Heilman said he was awaiting the return of student senators in the fall to discuss policy changes.

Check Kansan.com Thursday to learn more about the changes the task force is considering.

— — Edited by Ross Stewart

Comments

jayb1rd (anonymous) says...

I don't get this. Did any of the alcohol-related deaths even take place in the dorms? I know one did in Naismith but it was a private dorm and it wasn't even a KU student.

July 23, 2009 at 1:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

polo66606 (anonymous) says...

I agree with the article that was written in response. Instead of drinking in the dorms, they are just going to go other places, making it even more dangerous. How will they get home? Drive and cause an accident? Underage drinking is illegal, however it is unavoidable at college. There will always be a few who do, and the best thing is to provide a safe place where students can experiment with the least possible danger to themselves and others. I understand if they get to loud or rowdy, but this is a bit too far.

July 24, 2009 at 8:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kupeach (anonymous) says...

So housing staff can come into a room if they have reasonable cause - can they search through cabinets, drawers, or fridges? or do students still have that privacy? If that right is taken away this change becomes completely unacceptable rather than just debatable.

July 25, 2009 at 12:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

blackdrgn121 (anonymous) says...

I personally think this is a great idea. I lived down the hall from someone who constantly drank and it was not pleasant. I've never encountered a resident assistant who takes pleasure in writing someone up for any reason. It is a hassle for all involved and can put stresses on relationships with their residents. If people don't like giving them tools to do their job I propose the following option. If a resident is suspected of having alcohol in their room or if they are caught with alcohol in the residence hall and that resident is underage the police will be called. If people are tired of the University handling its problems let's bring in the police instead.

August 1, 2009 at 5:08 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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