SUPPORT MOUNTS FOR LOOSER POT PENALTIES

The RHA narrowly passed a resolution to decrease penalties for
dorm-room marijuana use at a meeting last night - a triumph for many
activists who rallied behind the proposition with fervor since its
failure last year.

In its closest vote of the year - 20 to 17 - the organization approved
a recommendation that, if approved by the Resident Life department,
would lower the punishment for marijuana possession in dorms from
potential housing termination to the same citation underage students
receive for being caught drinking.

The vote is largely symbolic, as both the university and the Board of
Regents would have to approve the changes. The Residence Halls
Association's support, however, could attract more attention to a
cause that has evoked strong feelings from students.

RHA Sen. Erik Rasmussen, who authored the bill, said it was designed
to equalize the penalties with those faced by students who caught
drinking in the dorms, reducing it from what Residence Halls Rules
classify as an A-level violation to a B-level violation. Currently, an
A-level violation includes offenses such as arson, assault and rape.

At this point, Resident Life Director Deb Grandner said she opposes
the RHA's decision because reducing penalties could increase the drug
market on the campus and lead to more crime.

"Right now I believe that our students take our drug policy seriously,
and I want them to continue to take it seriously," she said.

She added that if Resident Life rejects the RHA's recommendation,
students would be able to appeal to Vice President for Student Affairs
Linda Clement.

More than a dozen student groups were in attendance last night, led by
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, which put together a lobbying
blitz in anticipation for yesterday's vote: chalking up sidewalks to
promote turnout and encouraging dorm students to e-mail their RHA
representatives.

More than 30 students attended last night's meeting, a year high for
the RHA. Many RHA senators who weren't accustomed to the extra
attention said there was an added pressure in the room, and after
receiving multiple e-mails from residents in the dorm she represents,
Sen. Elyse Berkowitz said she felt a renewed obligation to represent
the concerns of her constituents.

"People come to our activities all the time, but for them to get
involved in our senate is pretty unusual," she said.

Last semester, the RHA rejected a similar resolution when many
senators got hung up on its confusing wording and vague
recommendations. This semester's resolution excluded some of the
controversial clauses that riddled last semester's bill, such as a
section telling Resident Assistants not to call police upon
discovering marijuana use.

Despite the revisions, the resolution's consequences split the
organization, which debated the bill for more than hour, hearing
recommendations from SSDP as well as from University Police.

Details in the wording still bothered many senators, but others
preferred to look at the bill's broader message. These schisms even
tore the RHA's top leadership.

Vice President Sumner Handy said the bill still has minor flaws, but
he said he voted in favor of the legislation because he feels Resident
Life's punishments for marijuana do not fit the crime.

"I wouldn't argue that this bill is fantastically written, but I'm
going for the bottom line," he said. "Using marijuana is not setting a
fire, it's not raping someone. The only person that it hurts
physically is the user. I don't think it's fair that it's classified
as an A-level violation."

President Mike LaBattaglia voted against the recommendation, sharing
many of Grandner's concerns.

"We're taking what's essentially an illegal market and saying that
it's OK to move it into the residence halls," he said. "We have to be
very mindful that something like this wouldn't increase any kind of
crime rate that was associated with drug use."

SSDP President Stacia Cosner said last night's vote was a landmark
hurdle the organization needed to pass before approaching
administrators. Coupled with a Student Government Association poll
last year that found 65 percent of the 4,376 students who voted in
their election last year supported lower penalties for marijuana use,
she said she was confident as the policy moved on to
administrators.

"If the RHA and the SGA both voted in favor of this, it's going to be
really difficult for the administration not to adopt these changes,"
she said.