Sara Natividad
snatividad@mustangdaily.net
Life on and off campus may seem like separate worlds, but in a recent email, Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey announced the gap between those two worlds will get just a little bit smaller. Cal Poly will now be responding to off-campus behavior that presents a risk to student health and safety, a departure from the school’s previous policies, he wrote.
The CSU standard for student conduct says the university should address anything that is chargeable off campus, Humphrey said.
“The term ‘chargeable’ is very broad,” Humphrey said. “We want to address things that are actually charged, particularly around student health and safety or neighborhood wellness.’’
The targeted offenses revolve around alcohol consumption and will include public intoxication and large parties that become so out of control they present safety risks, he said.
“Just about every violent crime that has happened to a student at the universities that I’ve been at trace back to alcohol,” Humphrey said. “We know if we intervene early, it is less likely that they become victims in a crime.”
The new policies are not designed as a form of punishment and will not affect students’ academic status. Instead, the goal is to educate them about student health and safety.
Students who are charged with off-campus related violations will have to attend educational workshops intended to prevent future related incidents by explaining the impact of their actions.
“Our goal is to make sure students learn about their behaviors and hopefully make different choices in the future,” Humphrey said.
The exact format of these workshops is still in the developing stage. Director of the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities Adrienne Miller is meeting with a group of students and faculty to design problematic interventions for the students who are charged.
The faculty and students have not been chosen yet, but they are to meet in June in order to have the programs fully implemented by fall, Miller said. The options they are considering include online workshops, workbooks and in-person sessions. The advisory committee will discuss the pros and cons of each type of program to determine the one that will be most beneficial.
Miller has dealt with on-campus alcohol infractions in the past and, based off of their essays, noticed students have a sense of self-awareness and the desire to adapt to healthy patterns of behavior, Miller said.
The program should not have the need for much additional revenue and Cal Poly is going to try and use staff already hired for the workshops, Humphrey said. If additional revenue is needed, the students in the workshop may have to pay a fee that would cover the costs.
The names and descriptions of all charges and arrests are public record and as of now, the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) only reports crimes involving violence and sexual assault. However, Cal Poly administration has been discussing an alternative form of communication with the SLOPD chief, Lt. Jeff Smith said.
The changes in communication are still being discussed and once enacted, will be based on an agreement among Cal Poly, SLOPD, the University Police Department and the city of San Luis Obispo.
“Our main goal is to keep students safe and make sure students and residents have the best relationships possible,” Smith said. “It’s not to be more strict or enforce more regulations.”
One of this year’s “major city goals” is to increase neighborhood wellness. In order to do their part, it is important that students have open communication with their neighbors, especially if they are non-student residents, Smith said.
For example, if a student is having a large social gathering, letting neighbors know in advance may decrease the likelihood of potential fines, Smith said. If the police arrive on scene, it is also important for residents hosting the party to make sure someone talks to the police and responsibly shuts the party down in a reasonable amount of time.
In order to treat neighbors with respect, students hosting parties should make sure to clean up any litter in a timely manner. Making sure guests do not urinate or loiter in their neighbors’ yards also helps better relations.
Another way to avoid potential charges is to be sure to stay in groups or with at least one other person, Smith said. If a student is obviously intoxicated in public but has someone with them who the police can trust to get them home safely, then the intoxicated student will be less likely to be fined.
When it comes to parties that are inevitably going to be large, it is often cheaper to find a place to rent than have to pay the fines afterward, Smith said.
“We’re not trying to make college life go away,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to make sure it’s within reason.”