Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs at CU-Boulder, announced today that beginning this fall any student found responsible for three alcohol or drug related incidents, on- or off-campus, is subject to suspension from the university for at least one semester.
"The time has come for us to take another step toward our goal of creating a safe, healthy academic community. Our history and mission require us to take such steps," according to Stump.
Administrators at the Boulder campus have spent a great deal of time studying students and their alcohol-related problems on campus and in the Boulder community, Stump said. A number of reasons for adopting new disciplinary practices this year have been cited, including the fact that every year a very small number of students cause the majority of problems.
"Even though we try to educate, counsel and hold these students accountable for their behavior, some of them persist in getting themselves into trouble with our campus judicial system and local courts. Therefore, we聮ve decided to utilize the sanctions we聮ve always had in adjudicating disciplinary cases, and simply apply this in some new ways," said Stump.
Stump also pointed out that, "This new use of our established sanctions does not mean a student cannot be suspended for his or her first offense. It just means that after three incidents, no matter how minor, a student will be suspended."
The university is entering the last year of a major research program to reduce high-risk drinking among its students. Robert Maust, project director of the program, helped generate the data that is the basis for supporting the new disciplinary practices of the university.
Maust points out that students at CU have drinking patterns that are very different from the national averages. "For example, more students come to CU with established at-risk drinking behaviors than are found at the national level among college-bound students. In addition, many students, once enrolled, follow or adopt a drinking lifestyle that is much more aggressive and dangerous than the national average for college students."
Stump pointed out that if the new practices for this year had been in effect last school year, 93 students possibly would have been suspended from the university.
In looking at last year聮s multiple offenders, many students did not do well academically and caused a number of problems when at CU. Many have voluntarily chosen not to return to the university after their first year.
Stump emphasized that education and counseling efforts for students caught drinking would continue, and the adoption of the new disciplinary practices this year should reduce the number of alcohol-related problems caused by students. But he adds, "We have concluded that three incidents are enough."