Alcohol offenses could cost an out-of-state CU-Boulder student more than $12,000 this semester -- the cost of lost tuition, room and board -- or about $4,900 for an in-state student.
University officials are notifying students via posters, email bulletins and letters to parents, that the university's "3 Strikes" policy for alcohol and two strikes for drug-abuse offenses will continue into the 2002-2003 school year.
"Thirty-five students were suspended or expelled for alcohol violations for at least a semester during our last school year," said Bob Maust, CU's principal investigator for alcohol abuse on the Boulder campus. "When a student is suspended, costs and fees are not refundable."
Under the "3 Strikes" policy, any CU-Boulder student found responsible for one offense, on- or off-campus, will be placed on probation for one semester and be required to perform community service and attend alcohol awareness classes.
After two offenses, parents are notified and students are placed on one-year probation. They also must complete 10 hours of community service, read a book on alcohol and academics and write a report on it for the hearing officer.Ìý
After three alcohol offenses, students are subject to suspension from the university for at least one semester or expulsion.
Eighteen students incurred three strikes last school year and their cases were adjudicated and suspended through the campus Judicial Affairs system. However, 17 more students were charged with offenses severe enough to warrant suspension even though they did not have at least three "strikes."
According to Ron Stump, vice-chancellor for student affairs, "Whether an offense occurs on campus, in town or even at Invesco Field at a university event, it is still considered a strike if it meets the policy criteria.
"Very few of our students receive any strikes and, according to the latest Harvard College Alcohol Survey, we're encouraged by the fact that our high-risk drinking rate continues to decline," Stump said. "Our students seem to take their studies very seriously and have a positive attitude toward responsible behavior."