The “rights and responsibilities” outlined in Guilford College’s student handbook are murky at best. Knowing your rights as a student can help you navigate the grey areas of Guilford’s judicial system.
Some of the rights afforded to Guilford College students mirror citizens’ rights. The student handbook grants students “the freedoms of speech, peaceful assembly and right of petition,” as well as “freedom of artistic expression” and the right to truthfully report violations such as assault without fear of retaliation. On the other hand, because Guilford is a private institution, students’ rights can be limited, especially with regards to a student’s personal space.
The student handbook says a “search may not be conducted of a person.” Public Safety and Campus Life cannot pat a student down, but they can still search a student’s bag or ask a student to empty his or her pockets.
If a resident advisor or Public Safety officer wants to enter a student’s room, he or she must knock first and identify him or herself.
If the student denies access, this can be seen as probable cause for Public Safety to get permission from Campus Life to enter the student’s room.
One of the most common violations results from “host responsibility.” A student is considered responsible for his or her guests and can be subject to a judicial charge for something that happens in his or her on-campus residence even if he or she is not present when the judicial violation occurs.
When a weapon is involved, evidence of drug dealing or possession over a certain point, and in some cases of physical assault and theft, Guilford may reach out to the Greensboro police.
“A common misconception among students, I think, is that we exist independently of the police, and that’s not true,” said Director of Student Judicial Affairs Sandy Bowles. “We are under the jurisdiction of the Greensboro Police Department. They do take patrols through campus. They come on campus and do their own thing. It’s not all that frequently, but they do.”
“If the police initiate the action then they have to have either a warrant or the student’s consent,” said Bowles concerning room searches by police.
Students should also be mindful of what they post on social networking websites.
Although Guilford does not devote energy to trolling Facebook for evidence violations, there are instances in which something posted might get back to Campus Life.
“If I’m on Facebook and I see a picture, and I can clearly tell it’s the student’s room, and I see bags of marijuana sitting out … that is definitely probable cause to do a room search,” said Justin Shreve, hall director for Binford Hall.
Although students may at times feel victimized by Guilford’s judicial system, the system’s goal is to protect students and co-operatively solve problems in ways that best suit everybody involved.
“I wish there was more of a sense that we’re not here to get people in trouble,” said Shreve. “This is our best way of taking care of the campus community, and these policies exist in order to do that.”
