The concept of accountability as applied to college students is one that has provoked arguments among a wide variety of populations. Educators, parents, mental health counselors, media "analysts," law enforcement specialists, and fellow college students have voiced their opinions ranging from drunken driving to career training. Not surprisingly, such a statement has been the norm in the college world since the days when only the most liberal or progressive families allowed their daughters to attend college (generally to become either a teacher or a nurse) and young men drove roadsters, played football, and were generally expected to sow their wild oats and get it over and done with.
             Of course, true college radicalism did not enter the public consciousness until the days of the student "revolutions" of the 1960s when unlawful actions ranging from arson, public intoxication, drug abuse, unlawful assembly, and civil disobedience were commonplace. Throughout it all, the adult population has made statements about when they "were your age" or excused outrageous behavior claiming that it certainly was nowhere near as bad as what they themselves had "pulled" when they were in school.
             What has always been disturbing about the argument or the debate has been recognizing and defining wha the appropriate level of personal accountability should be for college students and whether or not they are "above the law" in terms of the consequences of their actions. Why should somebody (anybody) who is legally an adult be allowed to essentially ignore the constraints of a civil and democratic society. It should also be noted that alcohol-related arrests on college campuses surged 24.3 percent in 1998, the largest jump in seven years, according to a survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Law enforcement officials and crime experts attributed the increase to more heavy drinking among college students coupled with better reporting and tougher enforc...