New substance policy takes effect on campus
By Emily Mullin
September 22, 2008
As Ohio University students get back in the swing of things this fall and adjust to changes on campus, they’ll also have to adjust to a new university-wide alcohol and marijuana policy.
According to the new policy, which went into effect the first day of fall quarter, a student found in violation of an alcohol- or marijuana-related offense will face six to nine months of disciplinary probation.
If the same student commits another offense using the same substance for which he or she was previously in trouble and is still on probation, he or she is eligible for immediate suspension. A news release from Students Defending Students states that if the same student gets in trouble a second time while still on probation but with a different illegal substance, the student will be penalized with an extended disciplinary probation that may last from 12 months to the remainder of the student’s academic career at OU.
Jim Sand, director of OU Judiciaries, said the change is intended to provide “more structure” to the previous policy as an alternative to offenses being looked at on a “case-by-case basis” as they had been before.
Sand also said that the revised policy will allow hearing officers to take previous offenses into account when deciding the punishment for a particular student.
Although Sand said he recognizes that some students will choose to use alcohol or marijuana despite the official policy in place, he cautioned students that they should consider the consequences of their actions.
“They’re [students] adults. They have to decide what is important to them,” he said. “My hope is that students won’t do anything to jeopardize their enrollment at Ohio University.”
The Princeton Review, Playboy and other publications have listed OU among the top “party schools” in the country, a dubious achievement in the eyes of OU officials.
OU Judiciary’s Web page lists 1,597 cases of unauthorized use of alcoholic beverages during the 2005-06 school year. During 2006-07, that number dropped to 1,115. It dropped again last school year with only 799 cases of alcohol abuse.
The number of marijuana charges – including possession or use – increased from 261 in 2005-06 to 328 in 2006-07. Last year, the number fell to 231 marijuana offenses.
Lauren Vandermark, director of Students Defending Students, said that the number of alcohol offenses probably dropped last year in part because of the administration’s stricter enforcement of the alcohol policy.
“OU has been publicly criticized for its alcohol uses,” she said.
Because of OU’s “party-school” image, Vandermark said she thinks university officials put more effort into correcting excessive alcohol use rather than focusing on marijuana, which in comparison is a less noticeable problem.
Vandermark said the new policy is not necessarily a completely new set of guidelines but it instead “adds on” to the policy already in place.
The revised policy, Vandermark said, is “trying to establish a more rigid outline for alcohol and marijuana abuses.”
Vandermark echoed Sand’s thoughts about the policy acting more as a comprehensive rule, noting that it “leaves less personal discretion for judiciary officers.”
Students’ punishments used to be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the severity of the offense, but Vandermark said the new alcohol and marijuana policy will try to eliminate this type of inconsistency. Instead of relying on the discretion of judiciary officers, Vandermark said the new policy is intended to define a student’s punishment.
Vandermark said that while she knows drug and alcohol use is common among the college-aged population, she said that students need be aware of both university policies – and their rights.
“Be informed of your rights and understand that if you do get caught, the second time you can be up for suspension, which can really affect your college career,” she said.
Vandermark said that the purpose of Students Defending Students is to educate students about their rights and help them through the judicial process.
OU Judiciaries categorizes alcohol and marijuana offenses as “Code B” offenses. More serious drug violations fall under a different area of the OU Student Code of Conduct and are dealt with according to separate guidelines.
If a student is arrested by either the OU Police Department or Athens Police Department, a police report of the offense is forwarded to OU Judiciaries, Vandermark explained.
According to the OU Student Code of Conduct, first-time offenders of an alcohol-related offense are required to pay a $100 fine as well as attend an intervention or education program designed to get them “back on track.”
“For the students who are going to drink or do drugs – if you’re going to do it, be responsible about it,” Vandermark said.
Students are urged to contact Students Defending Students if they are charged with a substance-abuse offense. The group can be reached at 593-4045.
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