In 2015 and 2016, the Lehigh University Police Department arrested 333 students on campus and public property for liquor law and drug abuse violations. The university disciplined a total of 621 students for the same charges.
Christopher Mulvihill, the interim associate dean of student conduct and community expectations, said in an email that citations are actions taken by the police in response to criminal actions.
After being cited, a student will receive an email from Mulvihill asking to meet. Mulvihill said he talks to the student about the citation, how they received it and the punishment they will receive.
Students who receive alcohol violation citations but are not transported to the hospital are usually placed on disciplinary probation for a period of time. Lehigh will send out a parental notification, and the student will have to attend several counseling sessions and answer self-reflection questions.
The same actions are taken for students who receive alcohol violation citations and are transported to the hospital, however, they are placed on deferred suspension instead of disciplinary probation. Students who are cited and transported are not permitted to join Greek organizations the following semester.
Mulvihill said neither students who were hospitalized nor charged with disorderly conduct can study abroad until their suspension or probation is over.
The sanctions that come with being cited do not end at the university level. When students are cited, they might also face consequences from the state of Pennsylvania.
Lehigh police chief Edward Shupp said the majority of citations at Lehigh are a result of excessive alcohol consumption. As for how students can avoid citations, Shupp said students need to look out for each other and practice bystander intervention.
“Friends don’t leave other friends to drink out of punch bowls because you don’t know what’s in it,” Shupp said. “Friends don’t leave other friends to chug 10 shots. Friends don’t leave other friends to meet a new guy and go upstairs. There’s certain things you don’t do.”
3 Comments
Exactly why should I spend 1/3 of million dollars to send my daughter to this opium den? Every person in charge needs to be held accountable. You are basically terrible stewards of these resources.
I look at the situation and see the administration making a strong attempt to control a situation that should be controlled by the students themselves. The university are educators not parents. Self control and character should be developed before getting to Lehigh. I have a problem with hazing (the destructive type) and criminal behavior; I don’t think the vast marority of the instances are due to that.
One hopes that the responsible students at Lehigh will be able to have a positive effect on fellow students.
I believe the University is responsible under loco parentis criterion.
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