Pubdate: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2007 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Jamie C. Ruff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) H-SC STRESSES ZERO-TOLERANCE DRUG POLICY Officials Are Spreading Anti-Drug Message Since Student Arrests In April For Hampden-Sydney College, to steal a line from Charles Dickens, April was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Founded in 1775, the school boasts it is the 10th-oldest college in the U.S. and one of only three four-year, all-male liberal arts colleges in the country. On April 10, The Times-Dispatch ran a front-page article about how the school is thriving, having welcomed its largest enrollment and largest freshman class. The next day, seven Hampden-Sydney students were arrested on federal drug distribution charges after a months-long investigation. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Prince Edward County Sheriff's Department and Farmville Police Department were involved in the investigation. David Klein, the school's dean of students, suspended the men pending the outcome of their cases. Five pleaded guilty to federal charges; one was found guilty of two counts and not guilty of a third charge and is appealing his verdict. A jury found the seventh man not guilty. Not surprisingly, the arrests would become major news and would prove an embarrassment for the school. Prince Edward County Commonwealth's Attorney James R. Ennis has said he has no doubt there is a problem with controlled substances on the campus. "If you've got . . . DEA, the U.S. attorney, Prince Edward authorities [involved], you've probably got a problem," he said. In April 1994, a drug task force including representatives from the sheriff's departments in Prince Edward, Lunenburg and Charlotte counties arrested and charged two Hampden-Sydney College students with selling cocaine, marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms from their dormitory room. Charges against both men were amended, and they ended up on probation, one for two years and the other for three years. Klein said there is no way to determine the amount of cocaine and other drugs on campus, though through the years the nation's colleges and universities have seen drug use grow from mostly alcohol in the 1970s to include cocaine in the 1980s and 1990s and the abuse of prescription drugs today. But the most common drug at Hampden-Sydney, as is the case across the country, is still alcohol "without question," Klein said. The school requires its freshmen to take a several-hours-long online program about alcohol and its effects. "The information we got suggests the course does encourage the students to think about the choices they are making and to [consider] intervening in a friend's choices," Klein said. "We are delighted with that." The school is looking for similar programs for marijuana and cocaine, he said. Since April, college officials have been emphasizing their zero-tolerance drug policy to students. Exhibit A, Klein noted, is the student handbook, complete with a large zero on the cover. At the beginning of the fall semester, Klein and President Walter M. Bortz III spoke to the students and their parents. The meetings, Klein said, "were to say, 'This is what happened last April 11, and you can't do that here. If you do, we're going to deal with you.'" The school has also brought in speakers to reinforce the anti-drug message and is making sure students know they have access to counseling services and that staff members are there to talk to. The school is also pushing student leaders, such as class and organization officers and resident advisors, to monitor activities and head off any problems, as well as stressing its honor code and code of student conduct. Ultimately, Klein said, the point is for students to step up and police themselves and be responsible. "We choose not to establish marshal law," he said, noting that if the school sent police officers to search rooms, it would lose the trust of the vast majority of students who abide by the rules. "If we give freedom and then help them learn how choices impact their lives, then they have learned more." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman