<p>I was shocked to hear how harshly Penn State students fare with local police for minor infractions. Apparently, nearly 90% of student criminal interaction with the criminal justice system and local police in State College, PA results in JAIL TIME!!! Not a word of this mentioned during the glossy and boastful recruiting presentations. Are there any studies or reports of colleges that detail this kind of statistical information about colleges? While we all feel our kids are "good kids" and "not of the criminal element," I'd feel more confident about a school knowing there is a safety net of some sort (with my kid being away from home and out of state, etc.) available rather than not knowing that the school takes the position that their students are "on their own once they come into contact with the local police." It's incredible what is happening to the students who go to Penn State! I'd rather spend the $300,000.00 someplace where jail is not the only alternative for kids doing stupid stuff away from home. I'm really concerned and would appreciate being pointed in the direction of any statistical information. Rest assured, we won't be traveling to State College, PA for an open houses!</p>
<p>I would appreciate a link to a credible source.</p>
<p>That said, why should college students have a special safety net not afforded to non-college adults of the same age?</p>
<p>Only thinking in terms of kids with no criminal records or history having their first interaction with the local police as a member of a college community. When I went to college friends of mine did stupid stuff and were arrested and the school became involved. Maybe I’m expecting too much, Maybe I’m just dated :)</p>
<p>Do the crime, do the time. Turn the question around, and look at it from the perspective of the residents of State College: why should townie young adults of the same age be punished at a different level than the college kids? Your key words were “criminal interaction”.</p>
<p>That being said, what you’ve heard is exaggerated. I have family members who went there, and friends of my daughter just graduated, and some of the youth from my church are students now. If the students aren’t being total jerks, the local police tend to look away. But if they are drunk to the point of destroying property or excessive noisiness or blocking traffic or the like, they WILL be arrested. The college and the police have been working together to decrease the amount of public intoxication, and arrests are way down. For example, the number of arrests on St. Patrick’s Day has decreased a great deal thanks to the bars and the college doing more to prevent underage drinking and serving those who have already had plenty. It’s not that the town WANTS to arrest the kids, but the number of college students means there has to be enforcement of rules or the town would run amok.</p>
<p>I went to a private college with a lot of kids of celebrities and hated the attitudes of those kids. For example, the son of a famous sportscaster (who now has his own sports program) repeatedly pulled fire alarms or set off fire extinguishers in the middle of the night, causing the evacuation of a 13 story dorm every time, and volunteer fire fighters lost several hours of late night sleep every time. Daddy would send a donation to the school and the fire department and all would be well. Maybe a weekend in the slammer would have helped us all sleep better.</p>
<p>Watch the show Campus PD on the G4 channel. Frightening.
Inform your college kids how to avoid and stay out of trouble and awareness of local laws.</p>
<p>Your kids should know not to do stupid stuff. Police can’t let people who are urinating on vehicles and running through the streets continue to do so. Most of the time stupid college kids get out of trouble once they’re arrested. Parents are responsible for not raising stupid kids, it’s not the school or police’s job to babysit the kids. One thing the cop said at my school is that there are two types of cops: Old and cuddly and young and hungry. There’s a difference between having fun and breaking the law.</p>
<p>Hmmmm. Hard to believe OP is actually a parent worried that his special snowflake might have to answer for illegal behavior. </p>