@citivas wrote:
Well, there’s a reason Wesleyan might not want to highlight the lengths to which it goes to monitor student life: it’s fairly intrusive and not the kind of upbeat message you want to impart during an orientation. Nevertheless, there are frequent dorm inspections by so-called Fire Safety officers who have the power to knock and enter unannounced. This holds true for all university-owned residences, including theme houses. They have the power to confiscate contraband, including illegal substances (which would include alcohol if the student is under the age of 18.)
More importantly, it is Fire Safety’s official policy to notify the Middletown Police Department in those instances where illegal drugs and/or alcohol are found in the open. True, they have not been given authority to rifle through closed drawers and closets (it’s debatable whether such seizures would stand up in court - that’s a subject for a different thread), but, the number of referrals to MPD in any given year are often enough to give Wes one of the highest Clery Act statistics for the category “drug arrests” of any of its peers. FWIW, in the nearly fifteen years that this policy has been enforced, I could not find any references to heroin. The most common drug paraphernalia confiscated are bongs, and pipes.
The students don’t like the inspections; they are the subject of frequent memes and commentary in the student-run blogs. But, they are, in fact, among the few instances in student life where Wesleyan is not afraid to appear “uncool”.