Students drink alcohol in the dorms — this is no secret. Drinking is a large part of college life, and learning how to responsibly manage the freedom and independence of life without parental supervision is one of the most valuable educational components of college. But the Judicial Administrator does not see it this way, as was evidenced by the new administrative policy that will notify parents of students who commit two drug or alcohol offenses during their time at Cornell.

This change in policy — enacted in July and presented to the Student Assembly in November — only suggests that students are not to be trusted. Despite what was said by supporters of the policy, the change is a punitive measure that will not necessarily benefit those students who indeed have an alcohol dependence and are in need of an intervention. College students are adults, who after turning 18 are legally able to make decisions for themselves concerning such issues as their medical care. It should be assumed that as such they have matured past making decisions based on how their parents will act in response to said actions.

Advocates say that now the process of notifying parents of a student’s behavior will be more transparent. This revision, they say, formalizes the process so that students know when their disobedience will be met with more severe consequences. But more serious discretionary judgment must be used when determining if one’s defiance has indeed become a medical concern. Additionally, if this implementation was actually an act of transparency, the policy change should have been better communicated to the community at large.

A system of strikes against a student that will lead to the mere notification of a parent who is likely hundreds of miles away from Cornell will not remedy situations in which a student suffers from serious addiction. Gannett has a system of services in place, including BASICS, Counseling, Alcohol and Marijuana Education Groups and Explorations Groups, to deal with students with severe addiction problems. Such programs are far better resources for a student than the potentially reactionary response of a parent far removed from both the student and the situation.

From this perspective, the change in policy seems less like a serious solution to students’ problems and more like Gannett’s strategy to delegate the care of students caught with drugs or alcohol to others. The decision of whether or not a student is at risk to him or herself or others should be left to the discretion of medical professionals and should not be subject to administrative jurisdiction.

This judicial policy overall undermines a student’s independence and sense of responsibility during college. While alcohol and drug dependence is a very serious issue that sometimes merits outside expertise, a standardized notification policy that brings parents into the equation simply reprimands, rather than assists, students who may need help.