Students who are picked up for Driving Under the Influence in the local area face college discipline as well as criminal penalties, which some feel is a case of double jeopardy.
"I understood that it was really bad what I did, but I already have a lot of problems legally now that influence applying for jobs and graduate schools," said one male student who was convicted of a Class B misdemeanor in Lebanon District Court after being picked up by the Hanover police for driving under the influence.
"It felt like getting tried twice for the same thing" he added.But according to Marcia Kelly, Undergraduate Judicial Affairs Officer, college discipline is not double jeopardy.
"You are a member of two communities ... Dartmouth is a private community with its own set of rules and regulations," Kelly said.
So far this academic year, three cases of DUI have come to the Dean's Office. There were also three cases in each of the previous two years, Kelly said. Typically DUI is considered at the suspension level of one or two terms.
A drunken driving conviction falls under Standard VI of the Standards of Conduct which concerns violations of local, state, federal and foreign law, according to Kelly.
"Our expectation is that people will abide by the law and when there are violations, local or elsewhere, it gives us a vehicle for addressing that behavior," Kelly said.
A student is considered in violation of this college code once he or she has been convicted of breaking the law. The Dean's Office follows up on these criminal proceedings when they learn about them, especially when they occur in the Lebanon or Hanover area.
The College cannot usually begin its own disciplinary action until the criminal process has concluded, but some students elect to come to the Dean's Office in order to admit responsibility before the court process begins.
Students may want to expedite their case or to seek treatment which may lessen the level of college discipline or of their criminal charge.
The male student who spoke with The Dartmouth about his DUI case decided to take this initiative in hopes of reducing his punishment. He enrolled in an alcohol counseling program at Dick's House and met with an individual counselor which he believes influenced the College's decision to suspend him for only one term instead of two. His criminal charge was reduced from a Class A misdemeanor, which can have jail time, also because of this counseling, he told The Dartmouth.
While the student found the counseling to be "pretty good," he said he is not sure whether suspension is the most effective punishment possible.
"I guess from their standpoint, they sort of have to punish, but I think they are much more useful ways [than suspension] that they could punish you," he said, adding that "community education would have taken a lot more effort on my part and been more useful."
