Apparently, there's been a move by some colleges to notify parents when students are drinking. Rachael Larimore expresses skepticism that college kids care what their parents think.
In my relatively limited contact with the emotions of the average undergraduate, I think they very much care what their parents think. When I have caught students plagiarizing, several of them expressed concern about what their parents would say. At least once per semester, I get a student offering a note from their parents as an excuse for a late paper. They often tell me with excitement about how they are discussing the content of the course with their parents.
College students may look sort of adult-like. But detaching from the need for approval from one's parents is a process (I know a few sixty-year-olds who have not done it), and college students are just beginning it. I'm not sure whether our interest in preventing binge drinking is outweighed by our interest in encouraging these kids to grow up. But I do think most college students would indeed be deterred from such behavior if they thought their parents would be notified.
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1 hour ago
I guess it depends on the parents, as long as it is not drinking and driving related (or for girls not done in a potentially safe environment)
ReplyDeleteI am not sure it should be worrisome, especially since most college age kids know their parents could legally drink at 18. I don't drink, but to be honest I don't think students should even be deterred. I think it is better to instill in the young the idea of responsible drinking rather than no drinking.
I am with Bunny on the Wire on this, knowingly not knowing is sometimes the best policy so you can concentrate on the important things (like drinking and driving, safety, binge drinkng, etc.)
charo
IMO, college kids are legally adults and parents shouldn't enter the picture when discipline is concerned. Likewise, parents should also be prohibited from lobbying profs on behalf of their kids to improve grades, request hw extensions, etc...
ReplyDelete-joe
If kids are adults, why can't they legally drink?
ReplyDeletegj, all adults and all rights are not created equal, and this is the way it should be. Elderly people need to prove that they can still drive in many states at a certain age. Based on their fitness even though they are adults they can be denied the right to drive. You have to be 25 to be a Congressman and 30 to be a Senator. I have no problem with this.
ReplyDeletecharo