MONDAY, MAY 3, 1999

Officials weigh drinking-law implementation

By Wes Woods

On-Line Forty-Niner

If you are caught drunk or high on campus, watch out. University officials may soon tell your parents.

Section 952, Alcohol or Drug Possession Disclosure, of the Higher Education Act, will soon be implemented at Cal State Long Beach, university officials said.

However, how the law will be implemented at CSULB has not yet been decided.

"We are considering our options at this point," said Douglas Robinson, vice president of Student Services

Signed by Congress in October, the law allows institutions to disclose to parents violations of local, state and federal laws.

The law will also apply to school policies and rules governing the use or possession of alcohol or controlled substances.

As inacted, the law permits but does not require schools to notify parents of a student's alcohol or other drug violation.

Dr. Clyde A Crego, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, Dr. Stephen Katz, director of Judicial Affairs, and Gary Little, director of Housing and Residential Life, will assist in making the implementation decision.

The group's opinions will be shared with CSULB President Robert Maxson and his cabinet, Robinson said.

"By the end of the semester we will know [how to implement the law]," Robinson said.

The decision will be published in the University Catalogue on page 93, Katz said.

"The university does not act in place of parents," Robinson said. "But we are concerned about them [campus students]."

Katz said this is a preventative measure for students.

"We're notifying parents to see if students need assistance and alert them to possible difficulties adjusting to college life," Katz said. "There's various ways of notifying parents, such as a letter, a telephone call or a counseling session, possibly with the parents."

University Police, however, are not well informed about the law and its implementation

. "They [the group] haven't talked to us about it [implementation] that I know of," said Lieutenant Judi King.

CSULB students voiced strong opinions about the law, even though all of them had never heard of it.

"It's none of the parents business," said Michael Boulware, a 19-year-old liberal studies major. "Especially if your exploring different things. I just don't think it's right."

Tynesha Penny, a 19-year-old communications major, agreed.

"They should just kick them [the students] out of school," she said. "If their 18, they're adults. And some students are independent and don't live with their parents."

Bharti Patel, a 21-year-old psychology student, approved of the law.

"It's a good idea," she said. "The parents should know what their kids are doing at school instead of studying."

The parental notification amendment was the result of Jeffrey Levy, the father of a Radford University student who was killed last year in an alcohol-related traffic accident.

Levy, who was appointed to a Virginia Attorney General's task force, led recommendations to the parental notification idea. Eventually the task force helped convince Virginia Senator John W. Warner to introduce the legislation in the U.S. Senate.