A Way to Educate Students on Crime at Longwood
A debate stirs about how to better educate students when it comes to alcohol charges
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News
By Alex Myers
Rotunda Reporter
How many Longwood students can define a liquor law violation? In general terms, a liquor law violation is when state or local laws or ordinance prohibit the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, or use of alcoholic beverages. In addition, the violation also stands if intoxicating liquor is involved, maintaining unlawful drinking places, bootlegging, operating a still, giving it to a minor, underage possession, illegal transport, drinking in public, or any attempts to commit any of the above acts. Contrary to popular belief, liquor law violations are very abundant in today's college towns. Comparing liquor law violations from three of Virginia's colleges from the years 2006 to 2008, the numbers were astounding.
In 2008, the Longwood University Police Department recorded 430 liquor law violations. This is an increase from the two previous years, where there were 414 in 2007 and 336 in 2006, which totals 1,180 violations in three years. With 12 campus police officers and 4,700 current students, Longwood's number of violations was the highest when compared to the University of Mary Washington (UMW) and Bridgewater College (BC).
UMW welcomes 4,000 students to their campus each year; with 12 working officers they only had a total of 924 liquor law violations from 2006 to 2008. In 2008 they recorded their lowest amount of 244 violations, while they had 331 in 2007 and 349 in 2006.
BC only has 1,500 active students enrolled, but the police department records showed a high number of violations. In 2008 there were 384 documented liquor law violations; in 2007 there were 285 and a high of 447 in 2006. BC employs seven officers and monitors 1,500 students, but had the second highest total number of violations of the three colleges at 1,116.
But why the high numbers, especially at Longwood? Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology Dr. John Barbrey said, "Students don't have to leave their constitutional rights at the school house gate." This quote addresses the predicament college students find themselves in when entering a new environment, particularly since students may not know their constitutional rights.
Rotunda Reporter
How many Longwood students can define a liquor law violation? In general terms, a liquor law violation is when state or local laws or ordinance prohibit the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, or use of alcoholic beverages. In addition, the violation also stands if intoxicating liquor is involved, maintaining unlawful drinking places, bootlegging, operating a still, giving it to a minor, underage possession, illegal transport, drinking in public, or any attempts to commit any of the above acts. Contrary to popular belief, liquor law violations are very abundant in today's college towns. Comparing liquor law violations from three of Virginia's colleges from the years 2006 to 2008, the numbers were astounding.
In 2008, the Longwood University Police Department recorded 430 liquor law violations. This is an increase from the two previous years, where there were 414 in 2007 and 336 in 2006, which totals 1,180 violations in three years. With 12 campus police officers and 4,700 current students, Longwood's number of violations was the highest when compared to the University of Mary Washington (UMW) and Bridgewater College (BC).
UMW welcomes 4,000 students to their campus each year; with 12 working officers they only had a total of 924 liquor law violations from 2006 to 2008. In 2008 they recorded their lowest amount of 244 violations, while they had 331 in 2007 and 349 in 2006.
BC only has 1,500 active students enrolled, but the police department records showed a high number of violations. In 2008 there were 384 documented liquor law violations; in 2007 there were 285 and a high of 447 in 2006. BC employs seven officers and monitors 1,500 students, but had the second highest total number of violations of the three colleges at 1,116.
But why the high numbers, especially at Longwood? Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology Dr. John Barbrey said, "Students don't have to leave their constitutional rights at the school house gate." This quote addresses the predicament college students find themselves in when entering a new environment, particularly since students may not know their constitutional rights.
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