Pubdate: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 Source: Athens News, The (OH) Copyright: 2001, Athens News Contact: http://www.athensnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603 Author: Kim Kiracofe Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) STUDENT GROUP MOUNTS EFFORT AGAINST STRICTER POT PENALTIES An emergency meeting, called last Wednesday night by Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) at Ohio University, laid an action plan against a university proposal to toughen penalties for marijuana use on campus. The Alumni Lounge in Baker Center overflowed with students trying to participate in the meeting, which was called by Abby Bair, vice president of SSDP. She called the meeting in response to a recent report in The Athens NEWS, and subsequent reports elsewhere, that a university committee is recommending that the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana be made more severe. The change would require the current class B, minor misdemeanor charge for possession of small amounts of marijuana to be changed to a class A offense with a maximum penalty of expulsion. "This amendment is going to affect hundreds of students' lives," Bair declared at the meeting. "It's our responsibility to tell you guys." Up till now, no effort had been made to inform all students about the proposal, Bair maintained. She said that this was the main reason for the gathering, to urge the university to postpone deciding on the marijuana proposal until students have been made aware of the change, and have had a chance to comment on it. Ultimately, however, she said SSDP's goal is to stop the amendment from going through at all. Plans introduced at the meeting to begin the fight against the proposal included forming a coalition of student groups such as Student Senate, and the student chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); staging public protests; contacting leaders of the deciding committee by telephone; and flooding local newspapers with letters to the editor. "We strongly feel that it's the students' right to know what's going to be brought down on campus," Bair said. All these plans had to be implemented very quickly because the university's Review and Standards Committee is set to meet this Thursday to vote on whether to present the proposed change to the Board of Trustees, which will make the final decision. The Trustees generally -- though not always -- approve administrative recommendations. In an interview last month, Richard Carpinelli, the assistant vice president for student affairs who chairs the Review and Standards Committee, explained why the committee is proposing the change. He and other officials have cited a marked increase in referrals due to pot smoking on campus in the past year. "Students recognize that drugs and possession are serious transgressions against the university, and it is my sense that most students would expect harsh rules for this issue," said Carpinelli, who for many years served as head of OU's Office of Judiciaries. He added that the change "will certainly give us the ability to articulate expectations and how serious we view drug issues. We regard the matter as very serious." With the knowledge that the Review and Standards Committee is meeting so soon, SSDP leaders Wednesday evening suggested action in the form of a protest during the scheduled vote. Throughout the room, heads nodded and students voiced their agreement with the plan. Jim Hintz, president of Student Senate, attended the meeting. Hintz has a seat on the Review and Standards Committee this year, along with several university officials and students whom those officials appoint. He explained that most committee members know how they will vote before attending the meeting, and there's almost never a split vote. He was unsure about the attendance policy and whether the meeting will be open to the public. Bair said that if the committee goes ahead and votes for the amendment, her group will look for ways to appeal the decision. However, Hintz predicted that the process will be difficult, "It would take someone to convince the whole committee, which would then have to go to the vice president for student affairs, to the Board of Trustees, and to President Glidden to turn the decision around." Luke Ellwood, who sat on the committee last year, recalled that he was the only one who dissented from a decision to send the report to the Board of Trustees. He did not understand why OU felt the need to let a hearing committee have the authority to suspend or expel someone for a minor misdemeanor which Ohio law deals with by handing down a fine. He cited the fact that possessing either a dirty or clean pipe ("which one can buy (locally)") could result in the same penalty as possessing the actual drug if the change takes place. "If the board really wants to pursue its goal of education (that is their official mission), why is it necessary to have the option to separate a student from OU for a first-time offense?" he asked. When the emergency meeting was called, SSDP leaders had collected 250 signatures within five hours on their petition to get the amendment stopped. Bair said that Jessica Markwood, the president of SSDP who could not attend Wednesday's meeting, has a goal of 1,000 signatures by this Thursday. One student at the meeting proposed a formal group of students to represent the student body in everything the university considers, because he does not feel that every student group is represented fairly in the Review and Standards Committee, and that there's a "lack of student voice, lack of democracy, and too much student transparency." Bair agreed that the situation is frustrating. "It is totally up to us," she said. "Unfortunately, things like this happen all the time, and student rights are just jacked right out from underneath you." About halfway through the meeting, Larry Hayman, president of the OU ACLU, raised his hand and pledged the full support of his group. Hayman said that the SSDP presented a "good message." Hayman said he opposes what seems like "sneakiness and secrecy" by the university in not informing the students about the proposal. He is concerned for the rights of students and how they are governed, he added. "I think a lot of people don't get involved until it's too late," Hayman said. "Students should be non-complacent." During the gathering, Bair as well as Hayman mentioned the disparity between Ohio law and OU rules. "Apparently we can get punished worse if we are caught (with marijuana) inside the dorm than if we walk outside into a public place," she said. According to Ohio law,if a person is in possession of a "bulk" amount of illegal substances, he/she is assumed to be a seller of the drug, no matter if that was the intended purpose for the drug or not. The bulk amount of marijuana is 200 grams or 7.14 ounces (about enough to fill a one-gallon freezer bag) for marijuana, and much smaller amounts for other illegal drugs such as LSD and cocaine. In Ohio, the maximum penalty for possession of fewer than three ounces of marijuana is a $100 fine. If changed, the new policy at OU would make the maximum penalty for the same amount of drugs expulsion. Bair argued that the system, if the change goes into effect, will be headed in the wrong direction. "It will be a domino effect," she said. "A student caught with drugs here is in the best place he/she can be, at school, but now, this amendment could place them under criminal law. He/she could be expelled, or lose all of their financial aid, taking them out of this setting. This is not a sensible drug policy." Junior Meredith Long said she came to the meeting to support the "student voice and for an opportunity to take part." A member of the SSDP last year, she said she thought the meeting had a "great turnout." She said she's willing to participate by helping with petitions, demonstrations and e-mails, and serving on the central committee. After the meeting, students lingered in the lounge discussing ideas and opportunities to spread the word of their dissent about the proposal. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh