UCSC TAKES SECURITY MEASURES FOR '4/20"

SANTA CRUZ -- UC Santa Cruz officials will restrict visitor and
vehicle access on campus Sunday in anticipation of thousands
gathering to mark the so-called 4/20 cannabis culture holiday.

According to a memo sent to faculty and staff Thursday by Executive
Vice Chancellor David S. Kliger, UCSC will take numerous measures to
block unauthorized vehicles from entering campus and parking, as well
as parking along Empire Grade, the 1.2 mile stretch between the main
and west gates. Students also will not be allowed to have overnight
guests tonight or Saturday.

The once student-only gathering to smoke marijuana in UCSC's Porter
Meadow is now known nationwide, and has grown to 5,000 strong over
the years as word has spread through articles in Rolling Stone and
other magazines, as well as Web sites such as Wikipedia and YouTube.
The spike in attendance was also closely timed with a vote by Santa
Cruz residents in 2006 to make marijuana use a low-priority crime for
police.

The university reminded students in an e-mail Thursday that it does
not condone the gathering, which is named for the day or time of day
well-known among regular marijuana users internationally for toking
up. The e-mail warned students that using marijuana could land them
a police citation and campus judicial write-up.

But, UCSC spokesman Barry Shiller said the campus does not intend to
ramp up its police presence, and has made no arrests and issued few,
if any, student judicial citations for marijuana smoking during past
4/20 events. Still, he said, "The presence of pot and large crowds of
people breaking the law is not something we're thrilled about."

Keeping students from participating has proven difficult due to the
crowd's size, so UCSC has focused on restricting throngs of outsiders
through special security and traffic measures. Admittedly, however,
Shiller said the campus can do very little about people who walk on
to campus outside the gates, though unauthorized people are subject
to being thrown out.

"The increasingly large crowds that have gathered in recent years
present safety risks for participants, whether students or people not
affiliated with the campus," Kliger wrote. "This activity also
violates a number of campus regulations designed to provide for the
well-being of our campus and the neighboring community."