"In recent years, public schools have been disciplining students for the trouble they get into away from campus. Many schools suspend or expel students who are involved in any kind of violence. And some districts have expanded their involvement to misdeeds surrounding the things kids say online or drug arrests. "
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124076038
This is a very aversive approach for students. They get caught this one time, and all of the sudden it seems like their education has ended. They will get fined or arrested, which is a punishment enough itself. The school has the right to KNOW what happened, but if the student is still performing well in their activities and sports, then I think they should be monitored for safety reasons. If it's a continuous thing for them to go drinking 3 nights every week, one would almost expect it to have an effect on their performance. They are big kids now (unlike in high school), and they will suffer the consequences of being an adult. The last thing they need is to be treated like a 5 year old from their institution. If I was paying full tuition and getting this treatment, I would be furious. I wouldn't pay the $10,000 a year at UNI to do mandatory community service, suspended/removed from my activities, and receive punishment from the city/state. Sounds like a life in hell to me.
As I have said in other posts, I believe that elementary and high schools are the last places where punishment should be used. The use of punishment has many aversive consequences; when punished in front of other students, one might experience negative emotions like shame or embarrassment. These emotions may lead the student to resent the teacher who administers punishment or even with school in general. Other students who are punished may begin to internalize a self-image that they are not intelligent enough to get good grades. If a school punishes students for behaviors that occur outside and away from campus as the article states, then they may also be putting kids at risk for developing a social stigma where they are labeled by their peers as a criminal or a drug addict. If the schools began reinforcing positive behavior in school (turning in assignments on time or class participation) instead of punishing undesirable behaviors (tardiness or missing assignments) they might improve students' overall involvement and satisfaction with their education.