Penn State student reflects on bad choices from underage drinking.

This is a story of one student on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.

University Park, Pa. -- Students who engage in underage or dangerous drinking may find themselves facing consequences much more serious than a hangover. Whether the behavior results in a citation or arrest by police, or is written up by Residence Life staff, students face the additional consequence of going through the Judicial Affairs process to determine whether or not they have violated the Code of Conduct.

His story is no different than thousands of others at the same age. One of the most used excuses I hear from my clients is "I was young and dumb". There is no doubt in my mind that this is true, but look at what the subject of this story said after this one violation.He can get a break in PA for that first violation. He should be eligible for a PA work license for a license suspension.

It wasn't long, though, before he got his first underage citation. "Unhealthy choice. I decided to leave the establishment with an open container in my hand," he explained. "One of the biggest things they can get you for is definitely underage drinking, because you lose your license for three months, and also they boost the amount of points on your license up to one below the maximum -- or at least that's what it was for me. Now I have to pay high prices for car insurance because of the amount of points I have on my license."

This is after one violation they learn that messing with alcohol under the age of 21 leads to penalties, and what the consequences of those penalties are. Besides the state penalties the offender they may also face other problems.

"Disciplinary records follow students beyond graduation," said Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs. "When students go for jobs, a commonly asked question on employment applications is whether or not there are any arrests or convictions, or if there are disciplinary actions on file from your higher education institution. If all else is equal between two job applicants and one has a disciplinary action on file, that person likely will not be the employer's first choice." In some cases -- such as teacher positions or government information technology jobs which both require background checks or security clearances, an arrest or educational disciplinary notation can immediately disqualify someone from employment.

The full story can be found at the following address;
Penn State Live - Tuesday, April 13, 2010