NEWSROOM:
(541)546-5511
E-MAIL
ode@oregon. uoregon.edu
ON-LINE EDITION:
www.uoregon.edu/~ode
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Kameron Cole
Old enough to vote,
old enough to choose
Recent legislation demeans
underage students by allowing
universities to notify their parents
when they are caught with alcohol
You are caught with alcohol, you
are a minor and it is not the first
time. A school official drags you
into an office to discuss the
problem. Exasperated at your, behavior
the official warns, "I am sorry but we have
to take action. 1 am going to call your par
ents.” ...
You are: A. back in high school, B. hav
Opinion
Stefanie
Knowlton
ing a bad dream or C. an
adult attending a universi
ty somewhere in America.
Yes, boys and girls, the
correct answer is C.
President Clinton re
cently signed a higher edu
cation amendment that al
lows universities to notify
parents of their child’s
drinking habits.
The last time I checked,
students on average are 18
years or older when they enter college,
which would, according to the law, make
them adults capable of voting, going to
war, making their own decisions and suf
fering the consequences.
What place does parental notification
have in this legal definition of adult?
None.
Apparently, universities, parents, Con
gress and the president believe students
cannot function properly at college with
out parental supervision.
Where is the interference going to end?
Are we going to get parent chaperons at
every university-sponsored event too?
Ridiculous as this amendment may
sound, it has good intentions. Prompted
by recent alcohol-related deaths on uni
versity campuses, the parental notifica
tion clause was designed to decrease un
derage drinking and presumably deaths
When an I
AN Adult P
v .-rr, -r *
¥
- Giovanni Salimena/Emerald
or injuries associated with it.
In addition to infringing on a student’s
right to privacy, the new law may also be
more dangerous to students’ health than it
is helpful.
Because the university’s jurisdiction is
limited to the campus itself, only the
dorms, fraternities, sororities and those
caught on campus with alcohol will be
subject to the new law. Instead of choos
ing not to drink, many students may de
cide to drink off campus, which could in
crease the number of those who drive
under the influence.
According to a Harvard University
study, the greatest risk with alcohol-relat
ed behavior is to students driving under
the influence.
In fact, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration states that 2,209
young adults ages 15 to 20 died in alcohol
related automobile accidents in 1997.
These figures far outweigh the handful
of campus-related deaths because of un
derage binge drinking.
Elaine Green, associate dean of student
life, explains that the University is going
to be cautious when deciding what to do
with the new legislation.
Other universities may not be as insight
ful.
We need to focus on real solutions and
not revert to treating students like chil
dren. Students are going to drink. How
safe students are when they drink should
be our main concern. Are they driving?
How much are they drinking?
Instead of calling parents we should
make repeat offenders get involved in al
cohol counseling. And this should apply
to all students, not just those who are un
derage.
It is impossible to get students to make
mature decisions about drinking habits
when the universities are treating them
like children.
Any way you look at the new amend
ment, it is a bad idea for students, the
community and the university system.
... The official proceeds to dial your par
ent’s telephone number. Someone picks
up. It’s your mom!
“I am sorry to inform you that your son
was caught drinking on campus,” the offi
cial says.
The response?
“He is 20 years old and perfectly capa
ble of making his own decisions.”
Stefanie Knowlton is a columnist for the Emer
ald. Her views do not necessarily represent
those of the newspaper. She can be reached at
sknowlto@gladstone. uoregon edu.
THE
WiBSITt
ENTER WERE Q3
* —
AT LEAST HFS NOT
DOWNLOADING
the STARR REPORT...
-in« O"'*^’**£**■*<»-998
...SAVE HIM? HFS GONNA
GET US ALL KILLED///
SI
DEMSV
SENKTlfp
DEMSI
%