Under changes to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) colleges were granted permission, but were not required, to notify parents whose students violated alcohol policies. This was intended to be a new solution to an old problem. But what determines which colleges choose to notify parents and which do not? This policy studied investigated a variety of predictors of parental notification policy and practice for alcohol violations including institutional factors and beliefs. Looking through the lenses of institutions of higher education, parents, and students we can begin to understand the relationship between these three entities and why a college or university would choose to notify parents. This examination of policy formation is especially useful for senior student affairs administrators, practitioners working with student conduct and legal issues, as well as those charged with addressing alcohol abuse on campus. The focus on relationships bet-ween colleges, students, and parents will be of interest to anyone working with college students.