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Students will now have the option to voice their concerns about whether University employees can enter dorm rooms if a dangerous situation is expected inside. In the wake of the alcohol-related deaths of Jason Wren and Dalton Hawkins last semester, the University changed several of its alcohol policies. Now administrators are asking Student Senate to consider changing its policies for the student body as well.

Student Senate on Sept. 2 voted in favor of forming a subcommittee to discuss possible changes to the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities in order to prevent future alcohol-related tragedies.

“We have a serious problem with alcohol consumption at the University of Kansas,” Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said at the Senate meeting. “It’s nothing new.”

Roney challenged Senate to make the University a safer place by reviewing the code and making changes where necessary. The code outlines the rights of students while at the University. Only Student Senate can change the code, although Senate is open to all students.

Emily Williams, Overland Park graduate student and subcommittee chairwoman, was appointed to review the current policies, work with administration and make recommendations to prevent future alcohol-related deaths.

“We are going to have a lot of education going on because I think it’s important, first of all, for students to look at this policy and to take it seriously,” Williams said. “They have to know what the current policy is, and so I want to make sure everybody is educated on what is going on and what changes are being proposed.”

Possible changes could include giving University housing officials more power to enter a student’s dorm room without a search warrant.

Tom Cox, Shawnee graduate student and chairman of the student rights committee, said it was not uncommon for other schools to enter dorm rooms without a search warrant.

“At some universities, especially in certain aspects of the university, they forfeit certain rights that are constitutionally allowed,” Cox said.

Currently at the University, housing officials have to go to the KU Public Safety Office to get a Douglas County judge to sign and approve a search warrant to enter a student’s dorm room for any reason, including suspected alcohol use.

Some members of Student Senate are concerned and skeptical that this change was an attempt to infringe on the rights of students.

Adam Wood, Lawrence senior and student rights committee member, voted against appointing a subcommittee.

“I think forming a subcommittee is ridiculous because we don’t need to get a group of people together to decide whether certain people need Fourth Amendment rights or not,” Wood said. “That’s not up for discussion.”

The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Wood said he also felt it was “disingenuous and naïve” to believe Senate could change a culture of binge drinking by simply changing the code.

The subcommittee will hold open meetings and will allow any student to participate and vote after attending at least one meeting. The subcommittee has not yet announced its first meeting time.

— — Edited by Sarah Kelly

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