Oh college

After working at the ACLU this summer I find myself pondering more and more about civil liberties and why they're important. And I have realized just how many you can give up when you walk onto a college campus.

It's not anything criminal per say. College official can't strip you down in the middle of campus and send you to jail but they can search your room for no reason or punish you for things even if there isn't a whole lot of proof.

It can all be seen in the college handbook. Think of that handbook as a kind of constitution or bill of rights. When you agree to go live on a campus and attend a school you are basically agreeing to follow their rules. If a college decides that you broke them they can punish you, as long as it is in the rules you agreed to.

For instance, at my school, if you appear drunk or even if you appear sober but are walking with someone who appears drunk, you can be written up. They don't demand any proof. There's no breathalyzer. They just write you up and move on.

Now, admittedly, most of the people written up are drunk but that's not really the point. People deserve fair trial even if they're guilty.

On to the room thing. In the real world, police need a warrant and/or your consent to search your house. When you live on campus, however, you are technically on college property and therefore your room can be searched for any reason by campus safety or the police.

It just seems a little fucked up.