Thursday, October 25, 2001

TCU should not coddle students
By Jonathan Sampson
Skiff Staff

It’s not negotiable — if you’re under 21 and caught with alcohol, you’re in trouble.

But TCU officials want to bend the rules. They soften punishment if students are caught on campus, and in the end that only teach students to avoid responsibility.

First, let’s avoid the argument of whether or not the drinking age should be 21. It’s there, it’s set, we’re living with it. Given that fact, the issue is why TCU finds it necessary to bend the rules.

Texas state law clearly states that anyone underage caught drinking for the first time will pay a fine assessed by the court, perform between eight and 12 hours of community service and attend an alcohol awareness program.

For the second offense, and those thereafter, the fine is anywhere from $250 to $2,000 and the community service requirement shoots upward to 20 to 40 hours.

However, TCU wants to send a slightly different message. For a first offense on campus, students are fined only $75 and told to attend an alcohol education program provided by TCU. On a second offense, the fine is raised to $150, the alcohol education program remains and 20 hours of community service and a letter home is tacked on to the sentence.

Why does TCU choose to baby its students and hide them from the true consequences of their actions? Why do we have a set of rules that is similar to Texas laws, but less severe? Is it necessary? Is it beneficial?

If you’re old enough to vote, get a job and fight in a war, then you’re old enough to make decisions and accept the consequences.

Students may be fond of the reduced penalties now, but it’s because they feel they can get away with more this way. Different rules don’t teach students life lessons in a sheltered setting; they show students they can practice potentially harmful behavior with the protection of a learning environment.

Resident Assistants on campus write up students for alcohol violations almost every weekend, with the number of write-ups increasing around times like homecoming and the end of the semester. Most students just send the $75 fine home and move on with life. Is this teaching true responsibility?

According to TCU’s Bill of Student Rights and Responsibilities, “TCU has the responsibility of maintaining an educational environment conductive to academic achievement and at the same time helping young people grow into mature and responsible adults.”

By sheltering them?

The Bill of Student Rights is clear, but words are only as strong as the actions that back them up.

If TCU officials truly believe the words they put to paper, then they need to treat students like adults, allow them to make their own decisions and teach them to accept the consequences.

Jonathan Sampson is a junior news-editorial journalism major from Commerce.
He can be contacted at (j.m.sampson@student.tcu.edu).