PCs and g'sfs all stumble together ... what a week!

[TerryJ2]

Well, not only did I find out that difficult child was getting kicked out of school today, but on Sunday, easy child told me that the son of one of our best friends was arrested for drinking on campus. This is his first yr. He was kind of set up ... apparently, there's some kind of program where students get paid to turn in other students, and the same student who told him about a party was the one who turned him in.
This kid's dad is a defense atty so I know they'll get off with-a slap on the wrist. But the dad is a control freak, and frankly, I think one of the reasons that this kid did this is because he has had no chance to fall on his face b4. He's got helicopter parents. easy child talked the kid out of beating up the kid who turned him in (good move!) and they both became fairly philosophical when they considered there was no car involved, no physical injuries, no one got a disease and no one got pregnant.

Tonight, husband told me that one of easy child's friends from another campus, who is on total academic scholarship and just brilliant (spent the summer in England studying Shakespeare), was hiking on Cold Mtn in NC this past weekend and got separated and a search and rescue team was sent after her. She spent the night alone, in freezing temps, with-no warm clothes and of course, the cell ph didn't work in the mtns, and she is totally traumatized, believing she was going to die.

Makes me want to put my kids back in camp and teach them how to make fires, use compasses, and hug a tree.

easy child is driving home Sat. to be with-her mntn friend. I'm curious if the "busted" friend will come home with-her. I doubt it. When he called his dad to tell him what had happened, his dad hung up on him.

Life's a mess sometimes.

 

[TerryJ2]

OMG. I just noticed this in my email.

Dear Parents of Students:

As you may be aware, since the beginning of the academic year there have been several assaults on students. Two assaults occurred off campus and one occurred on campus. In all three incidents, the victims sustained non-life threatening injuries and are continuing to recover.

We are greatly concerned about these incidents. L's Police Department is working closely with the Town of F Police to investigate these assaults and to identify the individuals involved. In addition, both police departments have increased day and evening patrols both on and off campus. Visit www. to view the campus announcements concerning these incidents.

As parents, please stress to your students not to walk alone at night. We recommend to students that during the evening, night, and early morning hours that they travel around campus and in surrounding neighborhoods in groups of at least two and preferably of three or more. Additionally, students should not engage in texting or other distracting behaviors while walking. The best prevention is always to be aware of one's surroundings and of those who do not appear to be members of our campus community. Students are encouraged to program the PD phone number " xzxxx " on their cell phones so that it can be dialed quickly if needed.

Despite these incidents, we are confident that both the L and F communities are safe places to study and live. However, we are not completely immune from the problems that invade larger cities and communities.

Please know that we are doing everything possible to prevent future incidents of this nature. We are confident that the student body will work together to do its part to help in this effort. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at XXXX or L Police Chief B B at XXXX.

 

[DammitJanet]

This is the world today. Actually it has been the world for a long time but it is just more well known today. Kids need to move in packs. Wandering around alone, especially at night, is just dangerous. Lock cars and doors. Know who your friends are for more than 10 minutes and for gosh sakes, dont drink so much. If you are going to drink, have a sober buddy to watch your back and make sure you go home together.

 

[TerryJ2]

I know. easy child called last night to tell us some great news--she has a volunteer job at a local elementary school, doing art therapy with-at-risk students.As she spoke, I could hear her breathing heavily, like she was walking. In the dark."Where are you going?""I'm walking to my car.""Alone? What about the email from school? A campus police escort? Friend?""I'm 20 ft away from my car.""So, what about those other girls? They could have been near their cars, too.""They were boys. One was beaten to a pulp. He lost an eye."Aarggghh!!! That made me feel so good. NOT."Congratulations on your volunteer position. Love you. Bye."