2008 Woodie Awards
IN THE LOOP: Off-campus code can still punish anything
Editorial BoardThe change to the controversial off-campus policy may have pacified students, but it changed nothing.
Students have always seen themselves as having a sanctuary to escape the reach of Whitworth's sometimes-stringent regulations off-campus.
Students raised concerns about a new clause in the 2007-08 Student Handbook.
"Examples of off-campus behavior that may warrant disciplinary sanctions include, but are not limited to, criminal offenses, behavior that indicates the student may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of himself/herself or others, behavior that is seriously or chronically disruptive to the community and behavior that is potentially harmful to the reputation, educational mission or interests of the university," according to the handbook.
In a Nov. 20 article in The Whitworthian, Vice President for Student Life Kathy Storm said revisions were made to highlight and clarify university intervention for off-campus behavior violations.
Instead of clarifying, however, this policy only caused more confusion.
Understandably, off-campus students were incensed when they realized that no matter how far they ran, no matter where they hid, Whitworth could take disciplinary action against them. After bringing the problem before ASWU, a student life committee met to address the concern. The result?
The phrase "and behavior that is potentially harmful to the reputation, educational mission or interests of the university," was removed.
In one sense, the administration and the committee is to be commended for responding quickly to student concerns.
Unfortunately, taking out the phrase is a mere cosmetic change, one that does nothing but pacify students. The all purpose phrase, "include, but are not limited to…" can include essentially anything. Whitworth, if it chooses, can still punish behavior that is "potentially harmful to the reputation" of the university.
Striking the phrase, however, almost immediately caused protest to cease. ASWU readily recommended the revisions without a word of complaint. No one pointed out that, even by removing the offending clause, students don't gain a scrap of freedom.
Whitworth's leaders in the past have valued responsibility over rules.
President Bill Robinson in a Sept. 6 Convocation address said, "Now, all of you students know we have the Big Three, and we won't be good sports if you break any of them, but the reason we have fewer rules than most Christian schools is that we want you to become wise decision-makers, not just good rule-followers. The reason this is so important is that in almost every area of life, good judgment and faithfulness to our values will lead to better decisions than rules will."
There was a time when Whitworth valued students abilities to make decisions.
The transition off-campus is about accepting that responsibility.
Students have expressed concern that, under the current policy, they could be disciplined for engaging in innocent political protest.
As of right now, the administration could easily use the phrase "chronically disruptive to the community" to do just that.
The administration needs to inform students if there are any off-campus activities that are protected.
It's not just a matter of wording. It's a matter of clear, coherent policy.
Editorials in the "In the Loop" section reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of five editors.
For this reason, The Whitworthian asks readers to be responsible and respectful in any comments posted. The responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not the whitworthian.com. Readers are also encouraged to report questionable comments by e-mailing editor@whitworthian.com.
Be the first to comment on this story