Students from across the state congregated at UW-Milwaukee’s Zelazo Center to express their concerns on the proposed changes to the UW System student misconduct code at a Board of Regents public hearing Thursday, March 5.
UWM-area permanent residents and University administrators debated concerns with students at the 7 p.m. hearing, which lasted about an hour and a half.
For the past two years, the UW System has been revising the code, called Chapters 17 and 18. The revisions would allow students to be punished for certain types of off-campus misconduct throughout the system.
“As students we have many serious concerns on the revisions,” said Kyle Duerstein, UWM Student Association official and member of the statewide Chapter 17 and 18 review committee. “Chapter 17 is not ready to be revised.”
Student government representatives were present from UWM, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Steven’s Point and UW-River Falls. UWM Police provided security for the event, which is standard procedure for public hearings, according to UWM Vice Chancellor for University Relations Tom Luljak.
Regent Kevin Opgenorth, a UW-Plattevile student, said that both neighbors and students have valid concerns.
“When the smoke clears, I don’t think either side will be satisfied with the outcome,” said Opgenorth.
Adam Kissel of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) told the Post that revisions to Chapter 17 and 18 could create a potential due process lawsuit for the UW system.
“It makes it easy for similar cases to be treated differently,” said Kissel, director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program. “This opens the door for due process mistakes.”
But Kissel also said that he doesn’t completely agree with the students’ opposition to the Chapter 17/18 changes. “They are misreading the language,” he said. “Minor code violations aren’t punishable under the new code.” For example, Kissel said, cases such as noise violations would not meet the standard for punishment.
One UW-River Falls student warned the UW System to prepare for strong student resistance should the changes be passed.
Matthew Dale, another UW-River Falls student, spoke on behalf of his campus. “We at River Falls oppose the stripping of a student’s right to have legal counsel speak in their defense,” he said.
“Tonight the student voice was heard,” said Michael Moscicke, University Affairs Director for the United Council of UW Students (UC).
Though many students disagreed with the revisions, there were plenty voices in support present. Neighbors came forth and told vivid stories of sleepless nights due to parties around their homes and stressed how these revisions are needed. Paul Stafford is a neighbor and landlord in the UWM area who argued the revisions are a safety issue.
“This is a safe neighborhood, except at times when the students are out drinking,” said Stafford. “This is not a good thing and we need to take care of it.”
A peer voiced similar concerns. “Without changes, this neighborhood will not be livable for our families,” said the neighbor.
Along with neighbors, administration and faculty of the UW system expressed their opinion of how the revisions were needed. Luljak said the event was held at UWM because of the interest in the community and the fact that UWM is one of the larger schools in the system.
*Jonathan Anderson contributed to this report.*
So Paul Stafford and others claim that drunken young people, whom they assume are students, pose a greater threat to public safety than robbers who bus in from other parts of the city? They’ve obviously been spending too much time holed up in their over-assessed shacks (over-valued thanks to the university) to believe their own gross distortions.
BTW, my main man Johanan Raatz and I are running a little survey. Click my name to speak your mind on potentially campus-quaking topics!
The other link was the inspiration for my survey; here is the actual survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JDbw_2fQScSm5B2F5rkuJMkw_3d_3d
Feel free to distribute this to those who might be interested.
I was at this hearing and the general lack of student apathy was very interesting. Murray Hill residents made their voice loud and clear and student representation was lack lustered. I appreciate all the students that went even ones that made the trip from Point or River Falls. I wonder if our breach of privacy will ever be stopped. Sadly, I don’t think it will ever be considering the technology available to all of us now (including CCAP).
But let’s be honest, it’s a college campus although most students are respectful of property when they drink there are always a few bad apples no matter where you go. If Murray Hill neighbors are concerned about being wakened during the night perhaps they should take a trip to Madison during a gameday when the Octo-Bong is brought out at 7AM or places like Mifflin have a weekend block party.
I feel the pain of neighbors having to spend money to fix up their properties especially in this recession and I agree the few bad apples need to be more respectful but we already have laws in place.