Irresponsible actions can have lasting lifelong effects
For more than a century, Mount Pleasant has been a college town welcoming students and embracing their traditions. Unfortunately, the actions of a minority of Central Michigan University’s student body during the Welcome Back Week activities and recent gatherings resulted in an escalation of dangerous and irresponsible drinking resulting in threats to the safety of students, community residents and others.
Our main mission as a university is to prepare every student for success in his or her personal and professional lives. We are committed to building individuals of character and high moral regard. As individuals, you also play an important role in helping to protect the well-being of your friends and colleagues by fostering an environment that allows them to stay safe.
Please understand that the consequences of your actions today can impact your employment opportunities for a lifetime. Area police agencies will be enforcing applicable laws to create an environment that supports healthy decisions and lifestyles.
Those persons who violate these laws will be ticketed or arrested.
We unequivocally support local law enforcement agencies and campus police in upholding the laws of our state and community and the prosecution of those who violate these laws. A conviction for violating drug or alcohol laws may disqualify you for employment consideration in a variety of professions, including education, law enforcement and a number of health-related fields.
As President and Provost, we appeal to you to do what is right and stem the tide of irresponsible drinking and dangerous behavior, and conduct yourselves like good neighbors. Part of being an adult and a resident of Mount Pleasant is the responsibility to be respectful of community residents and neighbors.
CMU students are representative of society as a whole, which means most of them are very upstanding citizens and neighbors. As a practical matter, however, Central Michigan University has approximately 21,000 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, and regrettably some students do not always exhibit respectable behavior.
Please help by playing a leadership role in promoting responsible celebration. Please do not support an environment that encourages excessive drinking and irresponsible behavior in others. An important transformation into adulthood is developing responsible habits. Irresponsible behaviors, such as those demonstrated of late, are unhealthy for the participant and destroy the fabric of the university, our neighborhoods and our community.
We express our sincere concern and disappointment for the irresponsible behavior recently demonstrated.
We strongly encourage our students to respect all people and to be good neighbors and upstanding citizens of the community.
George E. Ross, Ph.D, President
E. Gary Shapiro, Ph.D, Executive Vice President/Provost
