Seattle UniversityCampus Strictness Summary

Written by Michael Lis-Sette

Michael Lis-Sette

Hometown

Seattle, WA

Major

Journalism

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Even to students who have been here for a while, it can seem as if the RAs and Public Safety are overbearing and somewhat obsessed with enforcing the rules. Even many of the people who feel this way would agree, however, that this is not because of some sort of power trip but out of a genuine desire to maintain the community and because they do actually care about the people entrusted to them. It can seem like they are everywhere, but there are not actually a huge number of public safety officers or student patrol members, and they tend to respond rapidly when an incident is reported. Even RAs will be lenient about certain things and might only give you a verbal warning and make you pour out your beer if they catch you and your friends during a late night gathering. That, of course, depends on their personality and if this is the first time they have caught you.

However, if you are doing things that are causing problems for others or are endangering them (or yourself), neither the RAs nor Public Safety will tolerate them. Loud music will often earn you a rap of knuckles on the door and a request to turn it down, and repeated alcohol or drug violations will get you sent before the school disciplinary system. But even then the school won’t automatically toss you over to the Seattle PD if it’s your first time or a genuinely minor offense. They can be forgiving, but they certainly aren’t fools, and know when a student is pushing it or trying to take advantage of them. The best way to stay out of trouble is to never break the rules in the first place, but if you decide to just be careful, and be ready to deal with the consequences.