Colleges begin notifying parents about students' drug or alcohol use.
When you send your kids away to college, you expect the university to
send you a bill. A report card. But a notification that your kid's been
drinking? That's what Mindy and Tom Gunn received from the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, when their 18-year-old had violated the campus drinking policy.
| "One of my biggest fears when we sent him away was that he'd get into the party scene," Mindy Gunn, 48, of Janesville, Wisconsin, told the Wall Street Journal. "I was glad to know the school will keep track of what he does and let me know." According to WSJ, a growing number of colleges, such as Texas Tech and Ohio University, are deciding to call Mom and Dad about underage drinking and illegal drug use, often at the very first signs of trouble. Some parents, like the Gunns, are happy for the heads up. Others, not so much... |
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"I think this is a violation of my daughter's privacy," says Lori Schrader, the mother of a Ohio University sophomore. "Plus, college used to be a place kids could go a little wild and be on their own. How is that possible if I'm being notified every time she takes a drink?"
WSJ reports that the University of Michigan sends a form at the beginning of each year to parents of new students under the age of 21 and asks them to sign and return it if they don't want to be notified that their child is using drugs oralcohol. So far in 2007, only 37 parents have opted out.
Hmm... What do you think about this policy?
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