What's Going on in Whitelaw?

"Underage drinking." "Smoking violation." "Marijuana." These are some of the recent incidents in the Whitelaw residence hall that have appeared in Lyndon State College's Public Safety log.

While it may seem that there have been a lot of violations this semester in the first year residence halls—particularly Whitelaw—there really have been no more than usual, said Erin Rossetti, director of residential life. In fact, the number of violations so far this academic year is the same as at this time last year, Rossetti said, adding that smoking violations in the gazebo outside the Stonehenge complex have increased slightly.

According to Rossetti, violations are common in the first year halls at the start of each school year because freshmen are "testing the waters" as they get used to LSC's policies. When a Residence Hall Director (RHD) or Resident Assistant (RA) finds a student in violation of LSC policy, the incident gets reported to Public Safety. Public Safety then discusses the incident with the student, documents it, and sends a report to Residential Life.

Residential Life then investigates the charge and decides whether to hold a judicial hearing, said Jonathan Davis, associate dean of student affairs. During the hearing, the student will meet one-on-one with Rossetti, Davis, or their RHD, and the student will be given the chance to present evidence or witnesses in their defense. The hearings follow a set procedure and both the student and the staff member must sign a statement at the end of the hearing stating that the procedure was followed, Davis said.

If a charge against a student is found to be baseless, it will be dismissed, Davis said; otherwise, a sanction will be imposed. Sanctions range from a verbal or written warning to probation to community service to a fine. The college is also beginning to use restorative justice in some cases, which allows students to make amends with a specific victim or with the community at large. For serious violations, a student may be suspended from the residence halls or the college itself. In a case where suspension is an option, a student will have a hearing with a panel of staff members, Davis said.

"We hope that students won't treat it as, just because there's a hearing, it's the end of the world," Davis said, adding that the purpose of hearings and sanctions is not merely to punish students but rather to teach them the reasons behind LSC's policies and the impact that violations have on the campus community. He added that the judicial process often allows the administration to get to know students better and creates better relationships between the students and the administration.

LSC also focuses on prevention, Rossetti said. New students are educated about the college's policies at SOAR, and RAs post info about the policies on residence hall bulletin boards. Suitemates also sign contracts in which they agree to expectations for each other's behavior, and expectations are discussed further in residence hall meetings, Rossetti said.

Alcohol and drug violations in the residence halls have tended to fluctuate over the past three years. According to LSC's 2011-2012 Public Safety and Campus Crime report, which came out last week, there were 141 liquor law violations in 2010, compared to 185 in 2009 and 128 in 2008. There were also 53 drug abuse violations in 2010, compared to 40 in 2009 and 62 in 2008.  

The RHD for Stonehenge, Melissa Nelson, refused to give the names of her RAs or allow them to comment for this story.