Many college administrators believe that stopping alcohol and drug abuse is the responsibility of the student, not the college.
A recent study finds that not only is alcohol and drug abuse increasing on college campuses, but a majority of college administrators believe that controlling such abuses is the responsibility of the students, not the college.
That may sound good, especially in light of the idea of personal responsibility, but the truth is that parents send their teens off to college to gain maturity as well as learning. Immaturity and personal responsibility are often mutually exclusive. Ultimately, parents expect that their offspring will be safe at college, and that the college or university to which they’re paying thousands of dollars each year will make sure of that.
How do you find a college where law enforcement and the protection of students are priorities? When you’re visiting colleges with your teen, ask questions about campus safety, as recommended by writer Paul Lloyd Hemphill. The type of response you get should speak volumes.
Next: So colleges aren’t what they used to be. Does this mean you shouldn’t send your teen to college?
I honestly hope my kiddos will do community college first because of this kind of issue. At least by doing so they wouldn’t live in that environment (I hope they’d live at home!).
I’m hoping my Aspie will choose to live at home and attend a local university (at least for the first two years). He’s so susceptible to peer pressure (although he’s only seven right now) that I’d like to provide a bit more structured introduction to adult life than he’d have if he went away to college. Even though he’s still so young I like to have a plan in progress. If his needs and abilities change over the years the plan can change too.
I really do feel that it’s the responsibility of the individual to make wise choices and not become involved in the bad stuff that permeates most communities. College provides the first taste of independence for many young adults and the sheer freedom of choice makes it easy to do stupid things. As a parent I think it’s my responsibility to help them gain independence throughout their adolescence so that they’re used to making choices long before they’re old enough to live on their own. A certain recipe for disaster is to keep young people under your “rule” and then turn them loose on the world one day.
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Tori, two of my kids have attended community/tech colleges and we’ve been pleased with the results.
Janet, you’re right that it’s the responsibility of the individual, no question. I think that’s something that’s changed since I went to college. We never saw parents on campus except on the first day of school and football weekends. These days, college administrators complain about “helicopter parents” who show up to complain if their teen didn’t get into the class they wanted. But I do believe there’s plenty a college can and should do when it comes to illegal activities.