The College Student's Guide to the Law (review)
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With the increased pace and scope of legal issues arising on college and university campuses, it would behoove any student, faculty member, or administrator to own a copy of C. L. Lindsay III's The College Student's Guide to the Law. This comprehensive legal handbook provides sound, practical advice on a myriad of legal issues that concern college and university campuses. The author schematically presents complex legal topics with such clarity that any nonlegal scholar can easily understand.
The book begins with two introductory chapters: "Your Constitution" and "Your College." Undoubtedly the most important section of the book, these chapters provide the reader with an excellent foundation in basic Constitutional rights and the applicability of those rights on college and university campuses. These introductory chapters help the reader identify his or her legal rights within the framework of institutional policy. Lindsay also provides insightful historical information about the evolution of the relationship between higher education institutions and their students from a parent-child type of relationship to a more contractual, fiduciary type of relationship.
The remainder of the book is divided into three sections: (1) The Law in the Classroom, (2) The Law on Campus, and (3) The Law Off Campus. Section 1, "The Law in the Classroom," provides the reader with practical advice on an array of legal issues that may arise in a classroom setting. This section addresses students' legal rights with respect to grade changes, accusations of academic dishonesty, and animal rights advocacy on campus. With illustrative charts and examples, Lindsay clarifies what strategies students may employ when faced with classroom challenges to their legal rights.
Although this section contains a wealth of valuable information, its most useful component is Chapter 4, which addresses academic dishonesty. Here Lindsay thoroughly explains and provides tangible examples of such types of plagiarism as mosaic and structural plagiarism. As advancements in technology continue to provide students with access to more scholarly resources, it is imperative that students fully understand what constitutes plagiarism and the legal ramifications for acts of academic dishonesty. The information contained in Chapter 4 will help students avoid jeopardizing their academic integrity and future careers.
Section 2 provides a detailed summary of student privacy rights, free speech, disciplinary proceedings, harassment and discrimination, cyber issues, campus safety, and on-campus housing. Lindsay's clear examples and vivid illustrations help the reader understand unfamiliar legal terminology such as respondeat superior and "disparate treatment versus disparate impact discrimination claims." Although all of the chapters in this section are well organized and informative, it seems that students will most frequently use the materials in Sections 1 and 3.
Section 3 presents insight on a variety of general legal topics such as off-campus housing, student interactions with police, underage drinking laws, counterfeit IDs, and liability issues associated with hosting college parties. Chapter 14, which addresses legal issues related to alcohol and social events, is perhaps the most pertinent to college students. Lindsay thoroughly explains the legal consequences for violating the law on these topics and lists a host of preventative strategies students can use to stay within the boundaries of the law. Additionally, he succinctly summarizes the legal pitfalls associated with drunk driving and consenting to field sobriety tests.
Section 3 covers off-campus housing issues, a crucial area of college student life. It is commonplace for dishonest landlords to grossly take advantage of student tenants. The information provided in this handbook enables students to identify and address landlord misconduct and to assert their legal rights as tenants. For instance, Lindsay highlights circumstances where students have the legal right to repair deficiencies within their rental property and deduct the costs from their monthly rent payment. In addition, the author provides basic information regarding contractual terms and obligations associated with leases and rental agreements.
The major weakness of the book is something characteristic of most handbooks: the emphasis [End Page 415] on breadth rather than depth. Lindsay provides only rudimentary coverage of multifaceted...
