By Byron Smith
Staff Writer
What do you think of when you hear the words … Pepperdine University?
The traditional (and perhaps correct) answer would most likely include: its beautiful campus nestled on the coastal foothills of beautiful Malibu, its beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes and driving beautiful cars all while succumbing to wholesome Christian values. This is almost too much beauty for one to endure.
How is one expected to maintain a productive work ethic when surrounded by such beauty?
Perhaps this is exactly why Pepperdine’s administration chooses to enforce such stern on- campus policies. It is obviously wise enough to have already considered this beauty that surrounds us, and felt it fitting to apply a little discipline to keep its students focused.
This seems perfectly rational and justified, for discipline is highly valued within the Pepperdine moral code. However, after a student puts in his two required years of dorm life, it should be quite reasonable for him to desire the freedom of a private residence.
Sadly enough, this freedom seems to be more of a privilege. Pepperdine does have a history of involving itself in the affairs of off campus student residences. The fact is that every Pepperdine student signed an agreement conforming to the rules of the 399-page student handbook. This book states that the administration can extend its authority to any student committing an infraction of Pepperdine ethical standards, regardless of where they live. This allows the administration to do whatever it sees fit to eliminate any off-campus violations.
The student handbook is 399 pages long, and few students, if any at all, read the entire book.
This leaves quite a bright surprise for a student living in a private residence who has a party unaware that he or she is breaking university rules. And this same shock came to a student who found himself on probation for having an old street sign that read DIP and an offensive four letter word added on with marker, even though the sign was placed in a private yard only visible from inside the property.
I was the former student.
I have also met with the judiciary board for having a house party that allegedly caused a disturbed neighbor to notify Pepperdine of our behavior. The judiciary members were fair, only punishing us with a research paper. My neighboring associates, however, are the students on probation for multiple social gatherings and offensive signage. The sign was spotted by two Pepperdine administrators who stopped by their house unannounced and proceeded to question its residents.
The rules and regulations of on-campus living are tightly weaved with fundamental Pepperdine ethics, and most students have obviously accepted these guidelines. Dorm life is an irreplaceable experience — I even find myself missing the dorms from time to time.
But after two years of room checks and curfews, students have earned the responsibility to establish sovereignty from on-campus policies when living in a private residence.
It is a freedom that should be granted at this particular stage in life, because a little independence is good. Pepperdine must remember that there are police officers who are paid to enforce penalty upon any of those who unfairly disturb the lives of those who live around them. But these rules must not be adequate by Pepperdine standards.
All of this concern that Pepperdine University has toward off-campus student affairs boils down to one thing: image. This brings us back to the whole beautiful thing. Everything valued here is visual, aesthetically pleasing.
Pepperdine is fearful of offcampus students portraying its university in a negative light.
This is understandable, for who wants to be depicted negatively? What kind of university would want people to know that their students have parties at their houses occasionally? Or that offensive language is hung within the confines of a student’s home?
But Pepperdine has shown the tendency to give more concern to the disturbed neighbors than to its own students by being quite accepting of all complaints by these inconvenienced citizens.
Yes, it is true that every student signed the dotted line, but that should not give administration the privilege to act as parental guardians. It is time that they honor the independence that each student is worthy of when residing off campus. This is a university, a place where blossoming adults explore, discover and celebrate.
Pepperdine should realize this, not by changing its policies, but by allowing off-campus residents the freedoms of all other citizens. They should also show some support for the rights of their off-campus students, and not be so willing to accept the petty complaints of distressed neighbors.
Christianity in its pure form has no concern with public image. Pepperdine, on the other hand, seems to be quite preoccupied with it.
I am undoubtedly proud to be a Wave, and I firmly believe that Pepperdine should be proud of its great student body.
This pride can be demonstrated by honoring the privacy and independence that off-campus students deserve. I can assure you that they will all be just fine on their own.
February14, 2002