Is the University within its rights to expel students for couch fires?
It seems as if there's a smoldering issue burning on the minds of city and University officials, as well as a good number of students.
Is it really possible to remove a student from school for burning a couch? It's not as if these people are dragging their old, beaten couches down from the depths of Sunnyside, dousing them with gasoline and tossing the match with a gleeful grin on the steps of Woodburn Hall. They're burning them off campus, on city streets, away from any University property.
We're not saying what they are doing is legal. By definition, deliberately setting fire to anything without a permit, whether it be a couch or a desk or even a pile of leaves, is illegal. And those who violate should definitely be punished by city authorities.
But is that all? In 1999-2000's The Mountie, the official student handbook of West Virginia University, Section 2.3 (Sanctions and Prohibited Student Conduct) is where the policies and procedures for disruptive conduct can be found. This section also provides the guidelines for expulsion from the University under section 2.3.1.
The handbook states that "a student who is found guilty of any of the following acts shall be subject to the maximum sanction of expulsion, or any lesser sanction authorized by the Board of Trustees and/or the WestVirginia University Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities." Among the offenses where expulsion is an ultimate punishment, "disruptive conduct" is listed.
In the subsection for "disruptive conduct," No. 6 reads: "Failure to comply with the direction of university officials, security officers, and other law enforcement officers acting in performance of their duties."
Keyword: Other. Penalty: Expulsion.
Sadly, there it sits in a shade of gray which can be tap-danced around to suit virtually any situation. Technically, it IS possible to be removed from the University for burning a couch &emdash; and, possibly, anything else that may be deemed by officials as unsavory conduct.
Tom Sloane, associate dean of student life and student affairs at WVU said the University was trying to do what's right. He said, correctly, that status as a student does not make anyone immune from laws in effect in the city, state or county. And, students are expected to obey the laws of the community in which they live.
However, what remains to be defined in a clear manner is an application of the punishment. Sloane said that the offenders will be considered on a case-by-case basis, considering things like his or her involvement in the circumstances and previous behavior.
"We have to look at these things individually and determine what impact they have on the University," he said. "We try not to paint everything with the same brush."
But can you really even start to paint?
Probably. After all, students consistently burning furniture without repercussions from the University isn't exactly good PR. But expulsion? That could be likened to shooting a mosquito with an elephant gun. After all, everyone makes mistakes. A 19-year-old who engages in one night of stupid conduct shouldn't necessarily have his entire future ruined by being tossed from his university. There are certainly worse things he could have done.
Herman Moses, associate vice president of student affairs said that the University hopes students will be responsible in their community and that the University is concerned for the safety and well-being of all their students and wants to help prevent them from doing anything harmful.
Chances are, simply burning a piece of furniture won't injure anyone. However, some students are being incredibly irresponsible by stuffing those couches with propane tanks and aerosol cans, which has an incredibly large chance of injuring anyone unfortunate enough to be near.
Somehow, to us, it seems much more dangerous to drink yourself into oblivion and get behind the wheel of a car. In recent memory is the case of a Board of Governors candidate who was charged with driving underthe influence. She didn't lose the chance to hold a student government seat, much less her privilege to be a student.
A gray area indeed. Better get out the tap shoes.
Voice your opinion today! Send e-mail to Jacque Bland