The Municipal Strategies Subcommittee of the Campus and Community Coalition has come up with a commons sense recommendation, first floated by Amherst authorities years ago, to continue putting pressure on off-campus student misbehavior.
Yes, the same folks who brought us the fine increase to $300 for alcohol violations and nuisance house bylaws to hurt party hardy types where it hurts the most--their bank account--now contemplates asking the University to extend the "Code of Student Conduct" to apply equally to off-campus shenanigans.
As they rightfully point out, "It is the behavior, rather than the location, that is rightfully the University's concern, and that should be reflected in its disciplinary system."
A few years back UMass banned an admitted rapist--a violation of the Code of Student Conduct-- from living on campus thus sending him off to the town of Amherst, kind of like the Catholic church's long ago habit of relocating pedophile priests to some other unsuspecting congregation.
Let's hope the University also treats the fines accumulated by students for the off-campus parties and alcohol violations in the town the same way they do parking tickets on campus: In order to receive a diploma at graduation outstanding balances must be paid in full.
23 comments:
I put so many kids through college on the UMass Parking Services scholarship.
As they rightfully point out, "It is the behavior, rather than the location, that is rightfully the University's concern, and that should be reflected in its disciplinary system."
I know one former umass pjs candidate who went on an LSD fueled manic rampage in Washington state, which included breaking into a church and throwing a peanut butter jar through a stained glass window.
my point is where do they draw the line for jurisdiction? amhert Hadley worthington Albany Seattle?
the fact is umass cops are state police and can bust you anywhere in mass.
Kind of like my defense of the First Amendment: I would not draw a (new) line anywhere.
Conduct unbecoming is conduct unbecoming. If you bring disrepute onto your organization the organization should punish you--no matter where you did the deed.
And I don't think UMass cops can arrest somebody beyond the 26 square miles of Amherst.
This town need to lighten up. It's like you never had any fun in your life. It's a party. Just a party. We all want to graduate. We don't want trouble. But life has to have some fun in it. I'm sure you can remember back that far.
Yeah I can (Alzheimer's is still in its initial stages).
The only thing more irresponsible than your interpretation of "fun" is your pathetic public justification for it here (although you don't have the integrity to leave your name).
larry
click the link and watch
it is very informative
if you don't want to watch the whole thing skip to 43:00 and watch for two minutes
this should open your mind a bit
I believe what this man says is dead on
you are a rallyer against local tyrrany and seem to be in the same camp as this guy who says local and state tyrrany is as bad as national tyranny
why do I keep railing on this?
because you have a loud voice, but you refuse to see the truth
click this one too
Everyone doesn't have to agree whole heartly to everything Larry posts, or at all for that matter, and I really don't think he even expects everyone to. He is posting his observations, and thoughts on those observations. Now with that said, "Rowdy Student Behavior" I can appreciate that the students want to take some great memories with them of college life after they graduate, and many will which is good. But, There is a core group of young adults these days that have little of no respect for themselves or anyone around them. I have been to various public places that are family oriented where the their rude rowdy behavior is totally unaccepable. Let's take the line at the movies as an example where you have boys and girls alike that drop the "F-Bomb" as every other word in a sentence fully acknowleging you have (2) young children with you, but make it very obvious they don't care. This carries out all oat other places as well, now introduce drugs and alcohole and you have a real special individual. So when and how do you cutain this behavior? By making these individuals accountable for thier actions. Somehow we have resolved to believe that the whole town should be accepting of thier behavior so as not to disturb thier "college experience". I say go for it but do it in as responsible as you can. Yes, you will make some errors in judgment but don't be a dumb ass about it. respect the town and the town will respect you and embrace your time here.
What it comes down to is that you are allowed to have fun, but when your "fun" infringes on my life, then it is out of bounds.
What really gets to people in this town is that some of the students treat Amherst and it's residents as if they are disposable. This is the same behavior that one sees in a summer vacation town where properties get trashed because some tenants think "Well, it isn't my place, and I'm here to have fun so I am going to do what ever I want.". What these people/students don't see is that we DO care about how you act and how you treat the town. You live here 9 months out of the year; you aren't a guest. Behave like a civilized human being, and you will be treated like one. Act like a misbehaving little child, and there are consequences to that behavior too.
I guess today's student thinks that we all did it when we were kids. They don't know that, but it's what they believe in order to excuse their behavior.
if i was a student there, i would take one big long dump the length of lincoln ave.
Thanks for sharing.
Fun is fun. But public urination, public intoxication and puking in the mailboxes is not fun for anyone and I agree with Larry on this one.
Larry,
I'll start paying attention and having hope in these "community coalition" agreements when the uniformed backs of police outside the bars and "party houses" of Amherst say UMASS Police rather (or at least in addition to) just Amherst, as in the photo depiction accompanying this post.
Conduct unbecoming is conduct unbecoming. If you bring disrepute onto your organization the organization should punish you--no matter where you did the deed.
Larry -- do you have any idea how Orwellian you are here? UMass is a subdivision of the Commonwealth, its relationship with students (but not employees) is considered the state relating to a citizen.
And a diploma is property -- it has real value (not much because it is a UM one, but still value).
So what you are advocating here is that if a citizen brings disrespute upon his municipality, the municipality has the right to seize his property in retribution.
In other words, the Town of Amherst would have been justified in seizing your house in response for you going on O'Riley's show and bringing disrespute on the town over TVM at ARHS. Is this what you want?
It is only a matter of time that this is successfully challenged because there is quite a bit of relevant case law from the days before the "holder in due course" rule, but diplomas are held for overdue financial obligations to the university -- with the university also being required to give internal due process hearings on the legitimacy of the obligations.
Now -- notwithstanding the precedent (and that UM employees would instantly find themselves in a worse position than Wisc state employees) there are two things that Amherst is not going to want.
First, UM would have the authority to cancel any obligation due to Amherst by a student. Second, any student could subrogate any claim against either Amherst or a local slumlord to UMass (which would pay it) and then UMass could either collect this or get it from the state's aid to Amherst.
Remember one other thing -- that picture was at Antonio's pizza -- which would not be in business were it not for the UM students as their pizza is now way overpriced and isn't of the quality it once was.
Why should UMass students subsidize the police protection of property that is taxed by the Town of Amherst? OK, if Amherst can't deal with it, ceede jurisdiction (AND TAXES) to UMass and say that anything west of the Common is now campus.
Sorry Lincoln Ave Folk -- you now have to pay your taxes to UMass and are subject to UM regs....
Businesses built in Hadley in the past 15 years:
Walmart
Target
Appleby's
Pizzahut
Big Y Foods
Stop & Shop (doubled in size)
Dollar Tree (doubled in size)
Zoe's Fish House
Chili's
Home Depot
Lowes'
Trader Joe's
That other food store by Home Depot
Barnes & Noble Books
Assorted Mall Stores
New retail in Amherst in past 15 years:
Amherst Brewing Company -- soon to essentially move to Hadley (within 100 yards of town line).
Say whatever you want about me, facts do matter.... And when you have finally managed to kill the goose that laid golden eggs, don't go crying to the state for a new one...
You forgot my favorite: Planet Fitness.
Ed, you are an incoherent blowhard.
Ed,
Just...stop. Please, stop. Stop. Please.
Either take your meds, or, stop taking your "meds".
If you say "facts matter" one more time whilst babbling total nonsense, I will scream and wake up my family.
There is a similar problem in California with college students acting up out in public it is ridiculous to even watch. Kids get drunk during midterms/finals and even do drugs.
Worse off, there are students who are very disrespectful off campus.
There needs to be stiffer penalties during midterms and finals weeks so they'll get it; however, the professors are creating part of the stress mess which somewhat causes this problem.
The Collegian had an article yesterday about a senator getting impeached for being drunk and disorderly at student government meetings.
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