Analysis Of Loco Parentis Restricting Student's Autonomy

In Loco Parentis Restricting Student’s Autonomy

The Latin phrase “in loco parentis,” which in Latin directly translates to “in the place of a parent,” refers to American universities controlling their student’s actions through discriminatory restraints (Lee 2011, 66). Universities and colleges during the 1960s were regulating student’s personal lives through administrative rules and would take disciplinary action, like expulsion, if broken. “From the mid-1800s through the late 1950s”, courts supported universities acting “in loco parentis” in respects to their students (Lee 2011, 66). Higher educational intuitions where not necessary acting how parents would; they where not honoring students for their academic achievements, but rather they

These higher educational institutions felt it was their duty, according to the law, to implement “in loco parentis.” In 1876 the president of Johns Hopkins University, Daniel Gilman, stated “The College implies, as a general rule, restriction rather than freedom” (Lee 2011, 67). When students enter a university that is acting upon “in loco parentis” they are surrendering their autonomy to the intuition. Once the student is enrolled the university gets to decide “how his [or her] time shall be occupied; what his [or her] habits shall be; his [or hers] general deportment; that he [or she] shall not visit certain places; his [or hers] hours of study and recreation” (Lee 2011, 69). Under the court ruling of “in loco parentis” colleges and universities in America could legal control their students activities, movement and

At certain colleges women would have to make their bed every morning before class. Then a “housemother” would inspect each women’s room to make sure it is up to appropriate standard. If a woman’s room was not up to the “housemothers” standard of clean then the women whose room it was would be punished for violating school policy (Lansley 2004, 73). Not only where school putting a larger emphasis on cleanliness than academics for women, but by checking their female students room every morning they are invading their privacy for the solely purpose of making sure their female students where acting appropriately at all hours of the