Students living in the Fresh Start buildings now face softer consequences for drug and alcohol policy violations.

In the past, students who violated these rules were kicked out of the program for a year. Now, however, Fresh Start students found in violation of alcohol or controlled substance rules will not be moved because there are no other rooms available. All non-Fresh Start residence halls are full this fall, and students in temporary housing are still waiting for permanent placement.

Fresh Start halls are Maple, Eaton, Friley and Union Drive Suite 2.

“The IRHA, Inter-Residence Hall Association, has been notified, and I believe that the expectation was that they would share [the policy change] with their constituents,” said Mimi Benjamin, residence life coordinator.

Jared Scheckel, freshman in electrical engineering and Maple resident, said he was still under the impression that policy violators would be removed from the Fresh Start building.

“I know when we were told [the old policy], it was our main deterrent because that penalty was pretty severe,” Scheckel said.

Lindsey Shultz, a freshman in agriculture who lives in Maple Hall, said that she didn’t know about the old policy but thinks students would drink and use controlled substances under either of the policies. “I think a lot of people would do it anyway, but those who probably are a little more scared of it might take advantage of it now,” Shultz said.

Students who violate alcohol or controlled substance policies in the Fresh Start buildings will still have those violations documented and will need to attend a judicial meeting, Benjamin said.

Last school year, 39 students were relocated because of alcohol and controlled substance violations in Fresh Start buildings, Benjamin said.

She said the only openings in the residence halls are in upper-division halls like Wallace-Wilson, which require residents to be 19 years old or have a sophomore classification to be eligible for residency.

Doug Bear, sophomore in animal science, said he chose to live in a Fresh Start building last year and returned this year so he could live with people who shared similar values and interests to his own.

Bear said he doesn’t drink, so the policy won’t affect him personally.

“The whole purpose of a Fresh Start community is to actually get kids away from settings where they’re exposed to [drugs and alcohol] and give them a fresh start,” Bear said.

“To me [the policy] sounds like a bad thing. I think that it’s going to encourage kids to drink, and that’s something Fresh Start is set up to discourage.”

Bear said he thought the new policy would put more pressure on the community advisers, since students caught violating the policies would remain in the building.

“The program is intended to assist students in getting connected to Iowa State right away,” Benjamin said. “The Fresh Start expectations are that students get involved in a campus organization, that they participate in a personal development activity, maybe an athletic event on campus, or a play, or something like that — and participate in community service.”

The Fresh Start program exists because research shows that when students get involved, they tend to stay at the university and they tend to graduate, Benjamin said.

Benjamin said nothing has been determined as to any additional changes to the policy right now, and no date has been set for the old policy to go back into effect.