In her piece, Ms. Turcotte describes the moral oppression of the university’s policy toward drinking. The policy states that if a student is ejected from or receives a ticket during a football game, the student will take a Breathalyzer test before they enter the stadium for the next game.
She was also “disturbed” to find out that any student under 21 that has an “extreme alcohol or drug incident, such as detox,” will be subject to parental notification via a campus dean.
I have to admit, her catchphrase, “If the university expects students to act like adults, then they should treat students like adults,” is something a politician would love to stump about, but it just doesn’t make sense.
A recent study from the UW-Madison Population Health Institute showed that Wisconsin tops the nation in alcohol use among teenagers and adults. It also revealed that our adults have the highest rates in the country of both heavy drinking and binge drinking.
My other bone to pick is with Michelle’s disdain for parental involvement. The dean isn’t going to notify parents if the student is drinking with friends and is responsible. The call only happens if the student, under 21 mind you, has had an “extreme incident, such as detox.”
This implies to me that the student has a lack of responsibility, a problem that could be remedied by their parents. Ms. Turcotte pleads, “Isn’t the purpose of college to learn responsibility?
Involving parents seems to be a step in the wrong direction.” Part of learning responsibility is undergoing consequences, which could be provided via parenting.
I agree with Michelle that most students are hardworking and responsible. However, she trumps a self-entitlement to bad behavior by stating the university should allow an “occasional lapse in judgment.”
Of course mistakes will happen, but campus policies should not encourage it. Even if one pays for their own tuition, myself included, a good chunk of funding for UW-Madison comes out of the pockets of state taxpayers.
Perhaps an apology should be owed to them as well. We have a responsibility to excel in our studies, not a God-given right to sober up in a paddy wagon. The university should not apologize for having consequences in place for people who make poor decisions.
