Penalties vary with student drinking habits
The makeshift plywood table wobbles after every plastic cup is placed on it. “Rebuttal” echoes through your mind. The world is spinning. And now the police have questions.
Underage drinking is common at CU and so too are the disciplinary actions that follow. CU offers two programs for underage students caught with alcohol. “A Matter of Degree” (AMOD) and “Striving to Achieve Real Success” (STARS) are the two programs guided by Judicial Affairs.
Students commonly refer to AMOD as the “one” and “two” strike program. According to Robert Maust, director of AMOD, every case is dealt with individually. A first time ticketed underage drinker faces one semesters probation, notification of parents, and mandatory attendance to two, 3-hour sessions of an alcohol awareness program through Wardenburg Health Center for $120.
If a student were to be caught a second time drinking while under probation, the penalties are harsher. The student would be suspended for one semester without reimbursement, said Maust.
To be caught a second time and not on probation creates a different scenario. The student would be given an additional probation and would be sent to the Second Offender Program ran by Boulder County. The program is 24-hours long and is held over 12 weeks.
Anytime a student is caught a third time drinking, they face suspension for one semester.
At any point Judicial Affairs can give community service. Community service is discretionary and may be given if the student disrupted the community (like vandalism) said Maust.
The second program, STARS, surrounds group dynamics. Student offenders are held accountable for a plan customized for them by Judicial Affairs. Some plans may entail raising grades and others may entail random alcohol screenings. If the student does not follow the plan suspension will follow said Maust.
Students can also refer themselves to STARS if they feel that drinking is hurting their studies. The programs are accepted amongst studies, but skepticism remains.
“I think it’s good that they penalize them,” said Erin Colburn, who’s a 21-year-old junior studying psychology and working as a Residential Advisor in Sewall. “If it works, I don’t know because people usually do it again.”
“Personally I feel like if people know the rules, they should be held accountable,” said Diana Johnson, a 20-year-old sophomore studying Spanish and business.
