Wiley announces formal parental involvement policy
UW–Madison will involve parents and guardians if their underage students are involved in extreme alcohol or drug incidents, Chancellor John D. Wiley announced today.
“We respect the independence of our students and aim to treat them as adults during their stay here on campus,” Wiley says. “However, university staff members sometimes deal with alcohol and drug overdoses that are, literally, matters of life and death.”
“Parents and guardians will be made aware when their son or daughter has been involved in a gravely serious situation,” he adds. “It is our hope that parents will influence their student differently than our staff and help reduce the number of these incidents in the future.”
The change, which is in accordance with a 1998 amendment to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), formalizes an earlier informal notification procedure in the Offices of the Dean of Students and University Housing.
Under the new policy, staff members from University Housing and the Offices of the Dean of Students will contact and notify parents or guardians of students who are under 21 and are involved in a range of incidents that include:
- An alcohol or other drug violation of UW System Code 17 that results in a campus judicial sanction of probation. The sanction would mean that a subsequent violation could result in suspension or expulsion from the university for an underage student.
- Incidents in which a student’s behavior has and may continue to pose a serious risk to the health, safety or well being of themselves or of other persons.
Specific examples of such incidents would include:
- A transport to a detoxification facility or local hospital for an overdose of alcohol or other drugs.
- An incident in which a student has attempted suicide or has engaged in suicidal demonstrations or ideation.
- An incident in which staff members feel the student may be a danger to themselves and/or has been a disruption in the living environment and to other students.
The policy change does not come in response to any single incident and has been under development and consideration for several years, Wiley says.
“We’re actively examining campus policies governing alcohol,” he says. “No one change will solve the problem of extremely dangerous drinking. Over time, a dozen small changes will have an impact and may save a student’s life.”
Primary responsibility for notification of parents will be given to the Residence Life Department of University Housing and the Student Advocacy and Judicial Affairs staff of ODOS, as the two units deal with the aftermath of severe drug and alcohol incidents.
“This is our opportunity to partner with parents to deal with a critical issue regarding their student,” says interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam, who notes that her office previously notified parents in severe drug or alcohol incidents. “If we are able to interrupt this dangerous behavior early on, and keep a student in school, we will consider it a step in the right direction.”
In the situations described above, staff members would meet with the student and inform them of the university’s intention to involve their parent or guardian, Berquam says. The student would be encouraged to make the initial contact with the parent or guardian.
A staff member would then follow up with a phone call, or in some cases, a letter to the parent or guardian. This contact would briefly describe the situation and ask for assistance in redirecting the student to more constructive or healthful behaviors.
Currently, parents are frequently involved in cases of a student’s admittance to a hospital or a detoxification center, due to the cost and impact on the family health insurance, Berquam says.
There may be circumstances where parental notification may be impossible or inappropriate due to unusual or extenuating personal or family circumstances, Berquam adds.
Students will be afforded the opportunity to demonstrate that notification would be counterproductive or would present a danger to the student’s well being.