Most American colleges and universities
take a spring break. Students might go home to their families — or spend a
week partying on a warm beach with no parents around. That is the popular
image, at least.
Police ask for students’ identifications to search for underage drinkers at a hotel during spring break in Palm Springs, California
In the United States, the legal age to drink alcohol is
twenty-one — one of the highest in the world. Americans debate whether it
should be lowered, or whether young drinkers would only drink more. In parts of
Europe, the legal drinking age for beer, and sometimes hard liquor, is sixteen.
Yet France may raise the age limit for beer and wine sales to eighteen, the
same as for hard liquor there.
Rules on alcohol differ from college to college in the
United States. Many schools require all first-year students to take an alcohol
prevention and education program, often given online. Some have a “zero
tolerance” policy where alcohol is banned from all buildings. Parents are
informed of violations and students may be suspended.
At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, permission
is needed to serve alcohol at any event on campus. But alcohol is banned in
first-year dorms — where most students are under twenty-one anyway.
Susan Davis, a university lawyer, says campus police and
local police report underage drinking violations to administrators. The
university judicial committee decides punishment on a case by case basis. For
example, the committee might suspend or expel a student. It might require an
alcohol education program. Or it might just give a warning.
Jon Zug is a prosecutor in Albemarle County, where the
university is located. He says international students would face the same
punishment as American citizens for underage drinking in Virginia. That includes
a fine of five hundred dollars or fifty hours of community service. But first
offenders might be given a chance to complete an alcohol education program
instead.
Schools
have to report legal violations by international students to the Department of
Homeland Security. International adviser Richard Tanson at the University of
Virginia says even minor violations stay on a student’s permanent immigration
record. He says international students should know that this can affect them in
the future if they try to re-enter the United States.
And
that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Earlier
reports in our Foreign Student Series can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.
Most American colleges and universities
take a spring break. Students might go home to their families — or spend a
week partying on a warm beach with no parents around. That is the popular
image, at least.
Police ask for students’ identifications to search for underage drinkers at a hotel during spring break in Palm Springs, California
In the United States, the legal age to drink alcohol is
twenty-one — one of the highest in the world. Americans debate whether it
should be lowered, or whether young drinkers would only drink more. In parts of
Europe, the legal drinking age for beer, and sometimes hard liquor, is sixteen.
Yet France may raise the age limit for beer and wine sales to eighteen, the
same as for hard liquor there.
Rules on alcohol differ from college to college in the
United States. Many schools require all first-year students to take an alcohol
prevention and education program, often given online. Some have a “zero
tolerance” policy where alcohol is banned from all buildings. Parents are
informed of violations and students may be suspended.
At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, permission
is needed to serve alcohol at any event on campus. But alcohol is banned in
first-year dorms — where most students are under twenty-one anyway.
Susan Davis, a university lawyer, says campus police and
local police report underage drinking violations to administrators. The
university judicial committee decides punishment on a case by case basis. For
example, the committee might suspend or expel a student. It might require an
alcohol education program. Or it might just give a warning.
Jon Zug is a prosecutor in Albemarle County, where the
university is located. He says international students would face the same
punishment as American citizens for underage drinking in Virginia. That includes
a fine of five hundred dollars or fifty hours of community service. But first
offenders might be given a chance to complete an alcohol education program
instead.
Schools
have to report legal violations by international students to the Department of
Homeland Security. International adviser Richard Tanson at the University of
Virginia says even minor violations stay on a student’s permanent immigration
record. He says international students should know that this can affect them in
the future if they try to re-enter the United States.
And
that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Earlier
reports in our Foreign Student Series can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.
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