How many college students know exactly what their rights are asstudents?
Not very many, according to Jason Rollingson, vice president ofexternal affairs for Associated Students at San Diego StateUniversity.
As a result, a proposal for a student bill of rights is in theworks.
Rollingson said two things would come out of having such a bill.First, it would inform the general student body of the resourcesavailable to them in the event that they are faced with issues likesexual harassment or discrimination.
“A lot of students aren’t aware of the rights that they have if aprofessor hits on them or anything like that,” he said. “They justassume that they have to deal with it.”
But students do have rights, and this bill would inform studentswhere to go in order to exercise their rights, Rollingson said.
Second, the bill would address the A.S. council of things thatthey can do to improve the services currently available to students.
“It would allow (A.S.) to see what’s out there and determine ifthere are things that we need to change,” he said. “It’s a smallstepping stone in a direction to inform students, and that’s thegeneral direction the council wants to go with that.”
One of the key priority goals of the bill would be to make surestudents know where to turn if they feel they are being stalked,harassed or aggrieved in any way, he said.
Some students may not know that there are departments on campusdesigned to help them out, such as Counseling and Psychologicalservices, a Student Grievance committee run by the university and anOmbudsmen’s office, he said.
A student bill of rights can consist of a wide range of issues,not only legal, but also general rights. For example, if studentshave concern regarding their grades they need to be informed of whereto go for help. Students also need a safe, comfortable campusenvironment, he said.
“Those are the types of things that students need to be aware of,”he said.
The proposal is in its beginning stages, he said, and a lot ofwork still needs to be done in order to follow through with it. Onceit’s finalized, it will need to be approved by the A.S. council.
Suzanne Chappellet, program coordinator for the Ombudsmen’soffice, said a student bill of rights is a very good idea.
Other universities have adopted similar statements and they havehad such a positive effect as far as increasing awareness amongstudents, that it is really an instrument that enhances education,she said.
“It sets a tone,” she said. “Such as the tone that has been set by(SDSU) in establishing a grievance process for students thatrecognizes students are sometimes treated unfairly.”
What she has seen in the 30 years that the Ombudsmen’s office hasbeen established is that students do not start inquiring where theycan go to seek help until they actually have a problem, she said.
“For the most part they really don’t develop an awareness,” shesaid.
Are students familiar with student service offices?
“Readily at hand, no: the average student you would stop probablywouldn’t say they precisely know that there is a Student Grievancecommittee code and procedure or an Ombudsmen’s office.”
On the other hand, under the law, for every right students havethere also comes a responsibility, said Susan Moss, director of theoffice of diversity and equity.
Moss said although it is important to provide students withwell-organized information about their rights, it is also importantto remind students of the consequences that will arise from notpaying fees on time, missing deadlines, or failing to take an exam onthe day it is scheduled.
“(The bill) is a big undertaking, it could be extremely useful,”she said.
She said such a bill is the kind of thing that can help retainstudents at SDSU. Many students leave the university because theyhave a variety of problems ranging from receiving the wrong grade tonot having enough money, and they are not sure how to deal with theseproblems.
“Any way we can help in that (students problems), it is going tostrengthen their ability to remain until graduation,” she said.
