<p>AP--"A growing number of universities are starting to take a more proactive approach to monitoring off-campus behavior.....</p>
<p>The University of Washington now enforces its campus behavior code off campus as well. ...A student doesn't need to be charged with a violent crime to activate the campus code at this Seattle university. Being cited for breaking the city's noise regulations is enough to score an invite to the student conduct office....</p>
<p>The University of Colorado-Boulder and Penn State also are taking a broader view of offenses that can activate the campus discipline system. In Colorado, the code regulates any conduct that "affects the health, safety or security of any member of the university community or the mission of the university...."</p>
<p>"We have a responsibility to educate our students about being responsible citizens," said Elizabeth A. Higgins, Washington's director of community standards and student conduct, whose office has "educated" 19 students since the extended code of conduct took effect in January...."</p>
<p>Boston College ... [sends] a college official off campus to look for parties and students breaking the law....</p>
<p>A number of [Seattle University] parties were shut down this past year after Glen Butterworth spied a page on Facebook publicizing the events. The private university has put its students on notice that cyber-patrolling will continue this year...."</p>
<p>I would think that improving town-gown relations would be the likely result of holding students accountable for behavior off-campus, and that seems like a reasonable goal. I know that many would consider behavior off-campus to be none of the schools business, but I don’t have an issue with teaching citizenship through off-campus oversight.</p>
<p>The University of Washington and Seattle University are two different universities in the same city of Seattle. Which is it? Get your story straight.</p>
<p>Nocousin, both the University of Washington and Seattle University are cited in the article. OP cut out the first sentence of a paragraph, but clarified that Seattle University was being discussed:</p>
<p>“The University of Washington now enforces its campus behavior code off campus as well. A student doesn’t need to be charged with a violent crime to activate the campus code at this Seattle university. Being cited for breaking the city’s noise regulations is enough to score an invite to the student conduct office”</p>
<p>“An assistant dean of students at Seattle University does something similar via the Internet. A number of parties were shut down this past year after Glen Butterworth spied a page on Facebook publicizing the events. The private university has put its students on notice that cyber-patrolling will continue this year.”</p>
<p>I got caught in an Atlanta hospital bed from an off campus party once, total luck that one of the Dean’s was there investigating someone who got beat up…written up and everything (the write up was for ‘hospitalization’), and was a factor in my later suspension.</p>
<p>I think you can be expelled from your college if you are convicted of a felony for a crime you committed off campus. </p>
<p>This seems to be pushing things further down as far as the level of severity of the offense is concerned.</p>
<p>So, how far down the list will colleges go?
Convicted of a misdemeanor for off campus actions? What degree?
Given a ticket (for off campus actions) that requires a court appearance?
Given a ticket (for off campus actions) that requires a fine be paid?
Given a warning by the police for something you did off campus?</p>
<p>How about if you are on spring break in another city?</p>
<p>How about if you are at home for the summer?</p>
<p>
The “anything that affects … the mission of the university” sounds way too broad. As Eldercookies said, watch these colleges’ building plans for those new offices for the thought police.</p>
<p>I like articles like this. I have a list with about 30 schools on it, and this really helps me decide which schools I want to steer clear of. I was interested in Boston College, however the fact that they have thouight police walking around outside of campus making sure people have no fun definitely makes me wary of attending or even bothering to apply there. Thanks!</p>
<p>Anyways, the idea that people are patrolling facebooks is absolutely ridiculous. I thought there was always an understanding at colleges that people drink and smoke marijuana. Apparently these schools don’t understand college. I could see campus officials getting involves in ridiculous, over the top events, but this sounds like any house party is going to get a reprimand from the schools. Definitely not something that I want to be involved in.</p>
<p>Mr. Bojangles-- that sucks. We have a rule stating that something like that will not result in disciplinary action, a sort of “immunity” if someone is taken to the hospital for all parties involved. Otherwise, kids would get scared of calling that their friend is sick/passed out, because of possible disciplinary actions. Sounds like your school hasn’t caught onto that.</p>
<p>I think that the Facebook monitoring was started by some research at a school in Florida that took a look at students in med school. In some measure, what’s done here can be a reflection of the real world as people have lost their jobs over pictures in Facebook or MySpace.</p>
<p>BC is set in an upscale suburban setting on three sides and Commonwealth Avenue and a lot of brownstones and smaller properties on the other. BC wants to expand from the current campus and is running up against demands from Mayor Menino and it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them was to control drinking. It can have a negative impact on the quality of life of neighbors and there has been pressure on teenage drinking in MA and in my state. Sting operations on stores that sell liquor come around from time to time.</p>
<p>Hopefully BC gets some backlash from this article. The administration needs to understand that there are some people who will not want to go to BC just because of what view of the university is being portrayed here.</p>
<p>Facebook is a reflection of your character; you shouldn’t be posting pictures on Facebook of yourself drinking and smoking weed. Drug possession and underage drinking are illegal, regardless if they’re supposed to be an “accepted part” of college life. If you still want to engage in those activities, don’t make things harder on yourself by telling everybody you do them.</p>
<p>Aside from that though, I find what BC is doing is distuuurrbing…</p>
<p>The University of Rhode Island keeps track of students living off campus. If the police are called to a home that they are renting, they get a warning from the school. On the second offense, they can be expelled.</p>
<p>i agree that what BC is doing is rediculous. however, ive never heard of it actually happening yet. off campus parties are generally left alone in my experiences. but i do know that if you get caught with a fake, the university finds out.</p>
<p>i know the neighborhood is very nice around here. but i think people should know what to expect when they live within walking distance of a college.</p>
<p>“i know the neighborhood is very nice around here. but i think people should know what to expect when they live within walking distance of a college.”</p>
<p>There are multimillion dollar homes surrounding Boston College. People that buy multimillion dollar homes generally carry some clout and that may be political or economic. I don’t know if the impetus on drinking comes from those with the nice properties or if it comes from neighbors on Commonwealth Ave heading east or up towards Brighton. When I was a student, the popular bar was MaryAnns in Cleveland Circle.</p>
<p>I’m mixed on this one. On the one hand, a college has no jurisdiction off campus unless it’s a school function. On the other hand, a lot of kids are on their own for the first time and some supervision might make the transition go a little smoother.</p>
<p>It sounds like a good idea only because it might keep students from engaging in dangerous behavior but it isn’t because students do dangerous things on campus frequently so there is little reason to believe such policing will be effective off campus. Further, just because a person is a student at a particular school does not make that student the college’s child. While schools have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their student body, if the event in question is off campus and not affiliated with the college then the people involved have to assume responsibility for the consequences of their actions, not the school.</p>