With a policy that punished students for unpaid bills to New River Light and Power Company by placing a flag on their account, Appalachian State University administrators assumed a role of control they simply do not have.
    They assumed the law, namely the Constitution of the United States, didn’t apply to them.
    Perhaps Appalachian administrators were unaware the deprivation of property, and student accounts, is against the 14th amendment of the constitution.
    But being unaware is simply a sign of negligence, as NRL&P General Manager Don Austin so aptly stated.
    Surely Appalachian administrators can read?
    Surely they made an effort to ensure the policies of this university and its subsidiaries do not violate the rights of the students for which they are aiming to create an excellent learning environment?
    No. Instead they enacted extra consequences upon Appalachian students who were delinquent in paying their power bills.
    Why?
    Because we are Appalachian students. Because administrators believe they can use their governing position at this university to get what they want from students.
    It’s called strong-arming.
    Payment is sure to come in when problems are created in other areas of someone’s life, in this instance the on going education of an Appalachian student.
    And this strong-arming all boils down to money.
    Appalachian administrators are willing to halt the progress of a student’s education in order to get that powerful substance that makes the world of higher education go ‘round.
    It is not excusable in any way for a student not to pay a bill.
    However, it is also not excusable in any way for Appalachian officials to use their authority as leverage to bring in payment.
    There would most likely not be a problem discovering other ways the university uses its position to garner money for projects that might not be in the best interest of Appalachian students, or more appropriately named, Appalachian student-consumers.
    Administrators need to take stock of their role on this campus and their motivation. Is it the education of this diverse body of growing adults or money?
    However, maybe this situation can prove to be a learning experience for everyone involved, indeed serving the purposes of higher education.
    Besides the obvious lesson that university power does not supercede the individual rights of students, the cessation of this harmful policy may be an indication that the faculty of this university is doing its job.
    When this policy came to light, it was recognized as glaringly wrong. Students used their minds and the resources around them to prove the policy a violation of law and to have the policy ended. Students at this university are learning.
    Our minds are sharp; we are attuned to the world around us, and as shown in this experience, we are up for the challenge when anyone, university body or not, tries to take advantage of us.