BANNED ON CAMPUS

Tech Dorms Maintain Rules Despite Increasing Trend Of Alcohol, Drugs On Campus

Though administrators for Texas Tech's Residence Halls are witnessing
an increased use of prescription drugs and alcohol by students, they
plan to maintain current rules on contraband items.

Sean Duggan, director of University Student Housing, said the Student
Code of Conduct is much like a speed limit; even if you forget about
it or do not read it, you still will be held accountable.

Duggan said students are responsible for everything that goes on in
their room, even if they are not present when it happens.

"It's the responsibility of the student to know," he said. "We can't
make people read everything."

Duggan said students are responsible for everything that goes on in
their room, even if they are not present when it happens. He also
said it is the student's responsibility to police each other and make
sure others are not doing things they should not be doing.

Ron Seacrist, chief of the Tech Police Department, said marijuana is
a big issue in the residence halls, but it is not the fastest growing
trend he has seen.

"We're seeing more and more use of prescription drugs," Seacrist
said. "I think that is kind of a universal problem across the country now."

He said alcohol abuse also is a growing trend.

Seacrist said even if police officers could smell marijuana from a
residence hall room, they are not allowed to open the student's door
with a master key. Officers must obtain a warrant or an invitation
from the resident to enter the room.

To get a search warrant, Seacrist said the police officers must have
more than just a suspicion - they must have probable cause based on
state and federal law.

Seacrist said Tech police still are using housing guards and
patrolling officers to keep things like drugs and illegal weapons off campus.

Angela Forney, the student director for environmental management and
retention at Tech, said it is an option of University Student Housing
to cancel the housing contract of a resident for certain violations.

As a former residence life coordinator, Forney said she could verify
that more students have been using prescription drugs.

She said she does not remember seeing any prescription drug
containers left behind by students in her first year of being an RLC,
but in her last year, she found several.

However, Forney said not all of the containers she found were for the
more problematic prescriptions; many of them were drugs like Tylenol.

Based on the marijuana legalization debate that occurred Jan. 30,
Duggan said if marijuana was legalized, his department would have to
work with local law agencies to see if they need to change any policies.

Duggan said his department follows and enforces all state laws, and
if there was such a big change in the law regarding marijuana, the
university would have to look into possible changes.

Stephen Wagner, a freshman business major from Dallas, said because
the campus is dry for alcohol, he believes marijuana also should be
banned from campus if it were legalized.

In addition, Duggan said he does not foresee changes in the residence
hall's rules for pets, unlit candles and open-coil appliances anytime soon.

The university is not a very conducive place for pets, as they pose
sanitary issues, he said. Also, others may have allergies to the
animals, and it is not a priority for the university to do the work
for students to have pets on campus.

Duggan said he has seen residence halls at other universities that
have had fires, and he aims to prevent that at Tech by keeping candles out.

Though Duggan said the university has spent more than $20 million
installing fire-safety equipment in the residence halls, he believes
it is important to take other preventative measures.

"Most residence hall fires are caused by candles," he said. "If not
having a candle can prevent that for hundreds of students, it's worth it."