ACPA & NASPA Professional Competencies Snapshot
• Explain the differences between public and private higher education with respect to the legal system and what they may mean for students, faculty, and staff at both types of institutions.
• Describe the evolving legal theories that define the student–institution relationship and how they affect professional practice.
• Describe how national constitutions and laws influence the rights that students, faculty, and staff have on public and private college campuses.
• Explain the concepts of risk management and liability reduction strategies.
• Describe the federal and state/province role in higher education.
In the spring of 2013 I enrolled in a doctorate level course discussing what laws and policies shape higher education and inform our practice. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to, academic freedom, contracts, governance and liability, intellectual property, student-institution relationships, due process in discipline, and free speech. As a result of this course I can articulate differences between laws affecting public and private schools, the legal boundaries of our profession and for students, and analyze the implications state and federal laws and policies have for our practice. I also completed a research paper and presentation on the implications of student social media use on academic freedom, discipline, and institutional jurisdiction.
Course HIED 7210: Law in Higher Education
Sibs N Kids Weekend Liability and Release Waiver
ACPA & NASPA Professional Competencies Snapshot
• Explain the concepts of risk management and liability reduction strategies.
• Implement policies developed by one’s department and institution, as well as the local, state/province, and federal levels of government.
One of the slipperiest slopes for colleges and liability is bringing minors onto our campuses. When advising the Sibs N Kids student committee, I worked with Risk Management to review and update the liability waiver that parents would sign for their children under the age of 18 to participate in Sibs N Kids Weekend at Bowling Green State University. Considering what needs to be explicitly stated in the waiver, how the waivers are signed and returned, and what activities the waiver covered provided me with a greater understanding of the liability institutions of higher education must maneuver when inviting off-campus constituents to campus.
