Pubdate: Mon, 30 Sep 2002
Source: Athens News, The (OH)
Copyright: 2002, Athens News
Contact:  http://www.athensnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603
Author: Jim Phillips, Athens News Senior Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

STUDENT GROUP WAITING TO SEE OU'S NEXT STEP ON POT RULES

No definite date has yet been set for the first meeting of the new school 
year by Ohio University's Review and Standards Committee.

The committee is in the midst of reviewing proposed amendments to OU's 
Student Code of Conduct, including a controversial stiffening of penalties 
for student possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Contacted Sept. 20, Richard Carpinelli, OU assistant vice president for 
student affairs, reported that he expected the Review and Standards 
Committee to convene "sometime in the next several weeks," but had not yet 
scheduled the meeting.

A student group that organized opposition to stiffening the university's 
pot penalties, meanwhile, is satisfied that its efforts at publicizing the 
issue have succeeded in making sure no changes will be made in the conduct 
code without sufficient input from students.

"My impression is that (Carpinelli) is not going to go ahead and try to 
slip this through without letting the students know, because that didn't 
work too well the last time," said Meredith Long, vice president of OU's 
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) on Sunday.

Last spring quarter, committee officials announced that they planned to 
hold a public meeting before the summer break, in order to allow interested 
parties to offer public input on any changes to OU's student conduct rules 
regarding pot.

In late May, however, Carpinelli informed committee members that he wasn't 
able to work such a meeting into his schedule, and it would not take place 
until after classes resumed for fall quarter.

In late 2001, the committee had revealed that it was close to voting on 
proposed changes to the code of conduct, including an amendment that would 
increase the potential disciplinary penalties for students caught with 
small amounts of marijuana.

Reportedly, the committee, which includes student members, was ready to 
recommend to the OU Board of Trustees that marijuana possession be 
increased from a class B to a class A offense, with a maximum penalty of 
expulsion. The current penalty is disciplinary probation, which can mean 
suspension if probation is violated.

When word got out about the proposed changes to the marijuana rules, 
however, many students, led by SSDP, quickly mobilized to delay, and if 
possible derail, the committee's vote. Long said she believes the ability 
of the group to quickly spread the news on the proposed changes, and line 
up opposition support among both students and faculty, helped to push the 
committee to delay the vote and open up its decision-making process. 
Supporters of SSDP's position, she said, include some individual members of 
OU Student Senate and numerous faculty members.

The student concerns prompted the committee to postpone voting on the 
conduct code changes. Committee members met with SSDP representatives, and 
promised to schedule public meetings to allow students and other interested 
parties to offer their input on the proposed amendments.

Long said that currently SSDP is not communicating further with the 
committee regarding the content of the proposed conduct code changes, but 
is waiting to offer input at the public meeting. "We're not dealing with it 
hands-on now," she explained. "Because we've managed to stop (the vote), 
and that was our goal."

Punishment for marijuana possession is not the only topic under 
consideration by the Review and Standards Committee. Also being discussed 
are proposed changes in the appeals process of OU Judiciaries, which 
handles disciplinary cases, and clearly distinguishing conduct code 
violations involving harm to oneself (by excessive drinking, for example) 
from those involving harm to others.

SSDP has scheduled a "Know Your Rights" educational event for students on 
Wednesday, at 9 p.m. in Baker Center's 1954 Room, with attorney David Baer, 
director of the Center for Student Advocacy.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager