What does WVU have to do with it though? It was off school property. So why should it be any of their business. Shouldn’t it be a legal matter for the police and courts to deal with and assign any jail or community service for? Now they’ll just go back to New Jersey and continue their hooliganism. Where as if the legal system would have fixed it they could have gotten tons of free community service out of them! What sort of precedence does this set? So now if you’re bad at work or act up at a bar they can expel you? Suppose they don’t like something else you do. Expelled. I’m not saying let them get away with it. Just that WVU shouldn’t have a say in something you do off campus in your free time.
Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I think Universities probably have the right to expel people who do stupid things that break the law, on or off their property.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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It doesn't set any kind of precedence, as campuses have been doing this for years. Most colleges would rather have their own disciplinary boards deal with crimes rather than face the negative publicity that goes along with 11 of your students being arrested. For example, out of 90 Univ. South Carolina students that the campus police caught with illegal drugs last year, only 40 of them were turned over to the city of Columbia for criminal proceedings. The rest were all dealt with through the school's judiciary committee. The numbers for underage drinking were something like 27 turned over to the police and 450 something to the committee. I guess the thinking is that it is better to suspend, expell, and fail students than to have anyone notice that crimes happen on your campus.
--ApostleRadio
EDIT: Covering up crimes that happen on campuses has always been a problem. Not sure of the year, but I think 93 or 94, congress passed a law requiring all colleges to publicly display the stats of criminal behavior on campus. Sidestepping the police is just the loophole in the system.
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The university is a member of the community and has responsibilities to that community. Students who attend a university are ambassadors to the local community when they are off campus. The acceptance a university finds in its community is directly affected by the perception it gives to the local community. Many universities are in relatively small towns. Many of the students there are away from home for the first time and in stressful situations, and thus have a tendency to push boundaries of decorum. Local communities trust universities to keep some kind of handle on their students, both on and off campus. When a group of out of control WVU students sets fire to someone else's personal property, that breeds a feeling of "Why the hell should we support a university that produces hooligans." The only way the university can maintain a good relationship with the local community is to distance themselves from the bad behavior of offensive students. Expulsion and the threat of expulsion are really the only tools a university has to discipline their students. This also helps to show the community at large what type of person the university will not tolerate (and by extension will not inflict on the local community.)
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote: Covering up crimes that happen on campuses has always been a problem. Not sure of the year, but I think 93 or 94, congress passed a law requiring all colleges to publicly display the stats of criminal behavior on campus. Sidestepping the police is just the loophole in the system.
I see no evidence of a coverup. The students in question were cited and some arrested by city officials, not by the university. What likely happened is that the police consulted with the university, giving them the opportunity to discipline their students rather than sentence them in the public legal system (which could likely haunt them for far longer than an expulsion or university reprimand.)
It's very similar to the police bringing your son home to you, letting you know they picked him up for shoplifting and trusting you to punish him rather than send him off to juvenile detention.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with the events chronicled in the linked article.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Moreover, the incidents in question were the result of celebrations directly connected to a school event. Even if they happened off campus, they were still connected to the school, which makes it the school's business.
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Edgewood's college policy includes a Code of Ethics that will result in expulsion for a convicted felony.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Guess it is in the handbook. Interesting. I’m glad they’re gone. But it just seems like it should have a legal thing instead of a University thing. I guess it is a privilege to attend and not a right though.
WVU STUDENT HANDBOOK - THE MOUNTIE
Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities of Students
Appendix 1. Code of Ethical Standards
SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale for the University Student Conduct Code
West Virginia University expects that every member of its academic community share its historic and traditional commitment to honesty, integrity, and the search for truth. In addition, West Virginia University is concerned with the living and learning environment of all its students. It is expected that each person will grow to have greater respect for self, others, and property.
It is further expected that every member of the academic community will respect the democratic process, a society based on law, and the basic tenets on which our country was founded. All students at West Virginia University are citizens of the larger community, and as such are free to exercise their fundamental and constitutional rights. Rights and responsibilities under local, state, and national law are neither abridged nor extended because of student status, and each student must be mindful of his/her responsibility in this regard.
The university will not request special consideration for students charged with violations of a city, county, or state law on the basis of their status as students, nor will prosecution by federal, state, or local authorities necessarily preclude disciplinary action by the university.
Students charged with violations of the conduct code and/or other college policies will be provided substantive and procedural due process and the right of appeal. Their right to be treated with respect and dignity will be protected.
When a student is charged with a specific violation, the university will employ procedures for determining if the charge is fair and accurate. This document enumerates and explains specific procedures used in determining the fairness and accuracy of such charges and the sanctions which might be imposed if the charges are found to be true.
Opportunities for participation in the process and equality of treatment are afforded all students, irrespective of race, religion, age, sex, handicap, or national origin. To ensure this, state and federal regulations and the guidelines and requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972 are followed.
The mission of West Virginia University is to educate its members and prepare them for responsible and full participation in society. In implementing this Code, the university is not seeking to be punitive or adversarial. The collegiate nature of the educational mission requires that all members of the college community unite to administer and support this Code and to suggest change and improvement as necessary Posts: 2845 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I don't know that this particular school was involved in a coverup, but I do remember allegations that schools underreport or bypass the police in reporting and investigating criminal complaints.
If you happen to be the victim of a serious crime on campus, just call the police and not the keystone patrol. The campus officers are beholden to the school - police officers are not.
The GSU police were pretty good, particularly since most of them were building up time until their law enforcement certs but I've seen some campus cops that made the Three Stooges seem more appealing.
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I don't see any reason why the school shouldn't expel them. They acted like idiots after a school related function. Though I wasn't surprised that something like this happened here, it still disappoints me that once again, WVU is made out to be a bunch of crazy "couch-burning" fools. Instead of the local news focusing on how well our basketball team did, all it showed was the drunken idiots downtown. It really made me mad when students wrote editorials in our University paper saying that nothing should happen to anyone because they were "just having fun." I think they deserve what they get
Posts: 306 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Not to mention that this sort of action puts the school at risk from lawsuits both from parents expecting the school to "protect their precious darlings from themselves" to innocent bystanders caught in the fray.
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