However, it is wrong to inform parents about the transgressions of their adult children (who have adult responsibilities) who are students at universities.

We may be students, but we are still adults. We are the ones who should take personal responsibility for our actions, whether it involves simply taking care of ourselves or accepting the consequences for our actions if we decide to use drugs or alcohol.

If one of the goals of this bill was to deter students from using drugs or alcohol, then lawmakers have exercised wishful thinking. The bill will most likely be an ineffective deterrent against drug and alcohol violations. Students are going to make such personal choices on their own.

The university is already playing a part in alcohol awareness; Penn State President Graham Spanier has spent three years making alcohol use on campus a priority. But it is especially important that the university continue to respect our right to privacy and to keep our records private. Penn State has merely been given the option to make parents aware of violations, but to exercise this option would break down personal rights -- and it is especially insulting to those students who are independent and support themselves without help from their parents.

By giving universities the right to notify parents of drug or alcohol violations, Clinton has given institutions such as Penn State the right to pry further into students' private lives.

While Penn State does not currently inform parents of their children's drug and alcohol violations, it is important that Penn State maintains this policy.

Every adult is responsible for his or her own actions -- and that involves legal problems and taking care of the repercussions that may come with taking drugs or alcohol.

Because Penn State is, first and foremost, an institution of learning, the university should stick to its policy of privacy for students and continue its mission to educate students on drug and alcohol issues.