In their efforts to manage the college environment, many higher-education institutions have deployed complex systems of student discipline--often in the form of legalistic codes of conduct. Paradoxically, says the author, major challenges involving students on campuses appear to be getting worse: high-risk alcohol/drug use persists; student…

Because efforts to curb campus alcohol abuse have largely failed, some colleges are contacting parents when students violate campus alcohol rules. Some institutions fear that sharing disciplinary records with parents violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student privacy, but a recent amendment to the Higher…