The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3 - 133

Legal Consciousness

hall floor" (halberg, 1986, p. 411). By building
upon halberg's (1986) list, support for these
students have emerged over time and could
include relocation requests by roommates, referral to on-campus counseling services, and
the creation of spaces where students can hold
an impromptu memorial service.
Death by suicide in a residence hall can pose
different challenges for residence life staff. in
Schieszler vs. Ferrum College (2002), a wrongful death suit was filed claiming the university
staff failed to provide adequate supervision of
michael W. frentzel, who had expressed on
multiple occasions his desire to hurt himself
following an argument with his girlfriend.
residence life staff and campus police initially
intervened during an argument between frentzel and his girlfriend. During this same time,
frentzel gave his girlfriend a note expressing
that he intended to hang himself. again, residence life staff and campus police responded
to find frentzel locked in his room. upon
contact, they found frentzel with self-inflicted
bruises and the dean of students required him
to sign a No-Harm Agreement. over the course
of a few days, frentzel attempted to contact his
girlfriend through third parties via notes, but
his girlfriend was not allowed to return to his
room. ultimately, frentzel was found dead in
his room by suicide (Schieszel v. Ferrum College,
2002). this case calls into question how much
supervision and responsibility are required
by housing staff with a student who manages
mental illness or expresses suicidal ideation.
most housing staff members have minimal
mental health training and are not in the role
to make accurate assessments; therefore, they
are required to refer students to university
counseling services.

from this brief survey of legal issues concerning residence life staff and students,
having an understanding of the law has
become a necessity in all aspects of campus
residence life for all levels of staffing, from
resident assistants, to full-time professionals
and the chief housing officer. as a result, in
order to ensure the health and safety of stu-

. . . the death of a student on-campus,
whether by natural causes, accident,
or suicide, can test housing staff
emotionally and professionally . . . .
While one of the initial steps is to
notify next of kin, Halberg discusses
that consideration needs to be
made regarding the, "well-being of
the roommate, close friends, and
members of the residence hall floor."

dents, limit and manage institutional risk, and
prevent liability, we must understand how residence life professionals experience the law in
their workplace.

THeOReTIcAL fRAMeWORK
When examining the understanding of law
among professionals or a group of people, researchers have primarily used the conceptual
framework of legal literacy or legal consciousness. legal literacy is most commonly used to
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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3

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