Do whatever you have to, just don't tell my mom

Until October of last year, federal law prohibited universities from informing parents of students' drug and alcohol violations if the students were over 18, unless the parents claimed the student as a dependent on income tax returns. But revisions made last year to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - an amendment to the Higher Education Act - now allow universities to inform parents if students under 21 violate university drug or alcohol rules.

Currently, MSU policy dictates that parents only be notified if drug or alcohol abuse results in a medical emergency. But since the federal policy change, The State News reports that MSU's president M. Peter McPherson has been receiving pressure to decide whether the State should follow other schools - like the University of Delaware - in adopting a parent notification policy. And, recently, the president has asked MSU's undergraduate student government to draft a set of recommendations to deal with the issue. No matter how you look at it, it appears that the school is gearing up to make a definitive decision on the issue.

And if MSU wishes to maintain a positive relationship with its students, the school should decide to find other ways to tackle underage drug and alcohol abuse.

On the surface, the policy seems reasonable and sensible. After all, most of us are still closely attached to our parents, whether we are still financially dependent on them or not. Though we are technically adults, they wield authority over us. They can cut off our funds; they can often decide where we can attend school; and if none of that works, they can always take us over their knee for a good old-fashioned whoopin'. But the seemingly easy and quick fix to the problem has its flaws.

Perhaps the biggest problem with adopting a parental notification policy is the relationship it will establish between students and their university. Rather than becoming a concerned student ally, the school will be an adversary - an entity that is out to punish, not out to help.

In addition, the policy is debasing to students. Adoption of the drug-control tactic will necessitate that students over 18 - a group that has attained the age of majority - are treated as a second-class set of adults. Granted, we college students are much different from the majority of legal adults. We may pierce ourselves in the most unlikely places. We may tattoo ourselves all over the place. And we may walk around listening to Jay-Z or Britney Spears all the time. But the fact remains that in the eyes of the law, 18- to 21-year-olds are adults, who bear the same legal consequences and responsibilities for their actions as the rest of the adult world.

The legal system has already set provisions and penalties for underage drinkers and drug users. Colleges and universities should let police handle issues of punishment and focus on the business of education. After all, if our provost were found abusing drugs, would any University official even think of calling up her mom? Somehow I doubt it ... because she's an adult.

There is evidence, though, that the parent notification policy might actually lessen substance abuse problems. A University of Delaware official reported last year that binge-drinking dropped 6 percent and that residence hall vandalism fell 31 percent after the school adopted its parent notification policy. While these numbers appear to speak favorably for the policy, we must remember that the promise of a mild abatement is not enough reason to throw out respect for students or to jeopardize the university-student relationship, which will affect nearly all aspects of college life. Universities must explore other options before immediately resorting to parent notification.

After all, if an MIP, a whopping fine, potential jail time or expulsion are not enough to dissuade a student from abusing substances, calling his or her parents will probably not prove a much greater deterrent. MSU - and universities around the country - must keep a mindful eye on their relationships with their students. Colleges should not be students' enemies.

- Scott Hunter can be reached over e-mail at sehunter@umich.edu.

Scott Hunter Roll Through the Soul

09-20-99