Anticipate Legal Issues on Campus

By taking proactive steps to anticipate legal issues on campus, college administrators can manage risk in the area of student affairs.  Anticipating legal issues can be done in a couple ways.

Firstly, many colleges belong to associations that provide updates regarding the status of pending legislation.  Typically these updates are provided to the college’s liaison to the association.  Administrators should seek out these updates as well.  By doing so, administrators can quickly become familiar with developing legal issues.

Additionally, there are a plethora of trade journals and magazines in the academic community.  By finding a journal or magazine that deals with student affair issues, administrators can develop a more detailed understanding of issues.

Thirdly, administrators can become better-informed by focusing on information that relates to how employment, civil rights and Constitutional issues are currently addressed by the Courts, as these issues are typically the most litigated in post-secondary education.  Delegate staff to assist with keeping administrators updated on these topics, as this can be an effective time saver.

Patrick R. Sturdy is a partner in our Livonia office where he concentrates his practice on education law, employment and labor law, corporate and business law, and intellectual property. He may be reached at (734) 261-2400 or psturdy@cmda-law.com.