SENATE PASSES LEGISLATION TO AMEND DRUG POLICY

For the first time in three years, the SUNY New Paltz administration
has been listening more than ever to the student senate in regards to
drug policy reform, said Student Association President Brian Gold.

The two parties which once held aggressive and antagonistic discourse
now have been able to maintain a productive relationship which "has
potential for a great deal of success," said Gold.

Most recently, the student senate has passed a resolution aimed
towards changing the drug policy for students found in possession of
marijuana. The legislation would remove expulsion as a possible
punishment for second time marijuana offenders, establishing a new
policy that includes removal from residence halls as a punishment and
potentially creating a drug education program. Written by former Sen.
Josh Goldberg, this piece of legislation focuses on a specific aspect
of the entire drug policy. "Some think it's small," Goldberg said of
the resolution. "I think it's a big step."

The passing of a piece of legislation is usually aimed toward
encouraging a discussion between administration and students. This
resolution, Vice President of Student Affairs and Governance Ben
Olsen said, may be the most pragmatic and reasonable approach to drug
policy reform that students have made in a while.

It remains unclear whether this legislation has the support of administrators.

"I don't see it as an invested interest of the institution," said
Vice President of Enrollment David Eaton about changing the current
drug policies on campus. "We would much rather struggle to be a
drug-free school than a free-drug school."

One argument made in the resolution is that the drug policies at SUNY
New Paltz are much stricter than the policies of other SUNY schools.
However, the two strike policy currently found in the Student
Handbook has been observed for about 10 years, prior to which New
Paltz followed a stricter policy of expulsion after one charge of
marijuana use or possession, said Eric Gullickson, director of media
relations for SUNY New Paltz. "That policy was put in place during
the Chandler administration to curb drug use on campus - at a time
when SUNY New Paltz was considered one of the worst campuses for drug
use, which resulted in a poor academic reputation and decreased
enrollment," he said.

Ray Schwarz, the associate vice president of student affairs and the
faculty advisor to the student senate, said that the senate's
approach will likely lead to respectful and productive discussion on
this complex issue, but that drug policy reform only reflects the
interests of a sub group of the senate and there are many other
senators who feel passionately about issues such as faculty office
hours, academic advising, transportation and renovation of the
Student Union Building.

This year, a number of SA executive board members have conducted
focus groups to discover what it is that students want their
government to advocate for, said Schwarz. "Those are the things I
like to see," he said, calling the e-board a group of "ethical leaders."

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, better known as NORML and SSDP,
have also been an influential voice of drug policy reform on the New
Paltz campus. They share some of the same goals as stated in
Goldberg's legislation, specifically to "create policy on campus that
we feel is just and reflective of the non-violent crime of marijuana
possession," said Stephen Morseman, a sophomore political science
major and member of NORML/SSDP.

These organizations are also currently distributing surveys to
collect student feedback on the current drug policies. "We plan on
presenting this data to the administration at the end of the
semester, and with the help of the student senate we hope to create
real change," Morseman said, who added that one of SSDP's other goals
is to remove the Aid Elimination Penalty from the Higher Education
Act, preventing college students from automatically losing financial
aid as a punishment for drug offenses.

Schwarz said that student activism, such as that of NORML/SSDP and
members of the student senate, is an important part of all college
campuses as long as it is constructive and beneficial to the majority
of the student body.

The next major step for NORML/SSDP is their annual Rock Against
Racism event held on Sunday, April 27. "In addition to creating
change directly with the administration, we hope to raise student
awareness," said Morseman. "We hope that through this event we can
demonstrate that it is not only 'those lazy potheads' who oppose the
current drug laws, but that the movement also includes police
officers, high court officials, college professors and grass roots activists."