Lauren, while reading your post, I couldn't help but think of Student Codes of Conduct. When I was a University student (1990s), the Student Code of Conduct was all of 4 pages. Today, these documents can be hundreds of pages and, if you are in a student group like a Fraternity/Sorority, there can be hundreds more regulations as well (especially rules around MLDA21). Some examples: you are required to register with the university if you go for lunch with 3 or more friends to a place that serves alcohol; you are required to monitor the food and beverage choices of your adult friends; you are required to provide snacks with an appropriate level of sodium. Offices of Student Conduct sanction people and organizations for these "transgressions" all the time in the United States. If the mission of institutions of higher education includes the nurturing of the civic virtues that sustain liberal democracy, then these examples of administrative abuse would indicate massive, system-wide failure in that regard.
Thanks for the great example and additional thought. It's likely the issue starts much earlier than higher ed too. Childhood is increasingly circumscribed by arbitrary rules and regulations that make it harder for both children and parents to exercise autonomy in reasonable ways without getting caught up in the criminal justice system (or even just the culture wars). Everything from regulations on playground use to the lack of unsupervised spaces where kids can learn the art of self-governance means that by the time kids get to college they're used to almost constant supervision and extremely rigid regulatory structures. I agree it's a disaster for civic virtue and self-governance. Might have to do a full post on this aspect this week... Thanks for chiming in!
Lauren, while reading your post, I couldn't help but think of Student Codes of Conduct. When I was a University student (1990s), the Student Code of Conduct was all of 4 pages. Today, these documents can be hundreds of pages and, if you are in a student group like a Fraternity/Sorority, there can be hundreds more regulations as well (especially rules around MLDA21). Some examples: you are required to register with the university if you go for lunch with 3 or more friends to a place that serves alcohol; you are required to monitor the food and beverage choices of your adult friends; you are required to provide snacks with an appropriate level of sodium. Offices of Student Conduct sanction people and organizations for these "transgressions" all the time in the United States. If the mission of institutions of higher education includes the nurturing of the civic virtues that sustain liberal democracy, then these examples of administrative abuse would indicate massive, system-wide failure in that regard.
Thanks for the great example and additional thought. It's likely the issue starts much earlier than higher ed too. Childhood is increasingly circumscribed by arbitrary rules and regulations that make it harder for both children and parents to exercise autonomy in reasonable ways without getting caught up in the criminal justice system (or even just the culture wars). Everything from regulations on playground use to the lack of unsupervised spaces where kids can learn the art of self-governance means that by the time kids get to college they're used to almost constant supervision and extremely rigid regulatory structures. I agree it's a disaster for civic virtue and self-governance. Might have to do a full post on this aspect this week... Thanks for chiming in!