“Name and Bruin ID please.” Ah, the all too familiar phrase that accompanies being written up.
Two residential assistants stood across from me, blankly waiting to fill out an incident report after I participated in the Midnight Yell, fueled by the stress of finals and the excitement of completing yet another college tradition. I immediately became defensive, dreading the next phone call with my mother in which I would have to tell her my glory days at UCLA were over, hilariously unaware that the consequences weren’t quite so dramatic.
Would this show up on my transcript? What does being written up mean anyway?
[Related: Inconsistent safety procedures in Hill housing are mostly for show]
According to Kirk White, the assistant director of Student Conduct and Community Standards at the UCLA Office of Residential Life, the conduct process is not meant to be a punitive one.
“The incidents that are adjudicated by Residential Life are not included in the document when a student requests a Dean’s Certification,” White said. This is, of course, unless the behavior is so severe that it must be adjudicated by the Dean of Students. A Dean’s Certification, usually required when applying for graduate school or a job, confirms that a student has not violated University policies or received disciplinary action.
Here at the Quad, we are all for lessening any potential anxiety for our fellow UCLA students and want to offer some transparency on what you’re losing the next time a resident assistant comes a-knocking when the speakers are blasting just a little too loud at 1 a.m. or that Friday night dorm party gets too lit.
Alcohol
Whether it be celebrating your roommate’s birthday or preparing for a night out on frat row, pregames and kickbacks are not uncommon in the dorms. Although this is a violation of ORL policy, so long as there are not ten bottles of Smirnoff littering the floor or thirteen people taking shots in your cramped triple, this behavior often goes under the radar.
On the occasion that you do get caught, you might find yourself on warning or probation status. Status sanctions refer to a student’s ability to continue living in on-campus housing, enforced on a ladder scale from warning to probation, deferred exclusion and ultimately exclusion.
Consequences may be more severe for the students who host the event versus those who were plausibly just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The presence of police or an ambulance would likely result in probation due to the more critical impact on the community.
Overall, developmental sanctions might include connecting with Counseling and Psychological Services, going to Bruins for Recovery or writing an evaluative paper. Developmental sanctions are separate, but common additions to status sanctions and can be avoided if the impact of the violation is minimal in nature.
Possession or usage of illegal substances
I know I’m not new to the Hill anymore when I’ve gotten used to walking by the smell of 420.
For those fortunate souls who somehow mask the odor better than President Donald Trump can lead a nation – congratulations, you just avoided probationary status on the Hill.
Developmental sanctions might include completion of online modules, an educational campus housing quiz or a reflective essay. Here’s a suggestion for your introductory paragraph: Start with your confusion about the legalization of marijuana in California but the continued prohibition of weed on the Hill. Isn’t that like getting permission from mom, only for dad to say absolutely not? Who do you listen to?
This does not include the usage or dealing of illicit drugs, such as cocaine or ecstasy, for which the conduct process will often be at the discretion of the Dean of Students.
Noise
The absolute lowest level of a noise complaint, such as my little fiasco, would be a reminder letter, introduced just this year. There are no sanctions imposed nor an interview required, only a statement that an incident report was received and a reminder to uphold the Student Conduct Code and follow the Hill’s housing regulations.
If the noise violation increases in magnitude of impact and degree of severity, a warning may be issued as to your status as a resident on the Hill and a reflective paper may be assigned.
Of course, it is imperative to acknowledge every violation can vary in severity and impact and that every case is unique, especially after repeat violations.
To Raven Gassis, a first-year undeclared physical science student, it is the threat of being kicked out of campus housing after repeat violations that scares him, rather than the developmental sanctions.
I can agree with that, but after that first incident, I’m done with being on the other side of the clipboard. But if I do, at least now I know it won’t be the end of the world.
So hide your alcohol a little better, smoke in secluded places and keep the parties on the down-low. You know what they say – can’t be written up if you don’t get caught. But if you do, this article will always be here. There’s no harm in having a little fun.