PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE

Not Everyone In New Paltz Is On Drugs

Recently SUNY New Paltz was named number seven in High Times
magazine's list of "Top 10 Counterculture Colleges." It is
understandable why the administration would be upset about this
"bestowment." But many students are upset as well that SUNY New
Paltz, as a whole, is identified as counterculture and associated
with drug use. The administration has worked hard to improve the
reputation of our college and now that reputation is being damaged by
a small percentage of students who don't represent the entire school.

As students, we work hard to get our education here and if people
view the college negatively, it affects all of our future careers and
job opportunities. When we graduate, the prospects of getting a job
are lessened when the school on our resumes brings to mind beer,
bongs and bowls.

Most of us have already had an experience when we tell somebody where
we go to school and their reaction is, "Oh isn't that a party
school?" And our answer is "No." On days when we look in the mirror
and see bags under our eyes from studying all week, a response like
that is especially maddening.

The reputation of being a party school is a very old one, garnered
from the '60s and '70s when the drug culture was a big part of campus
life. The key word here is was - as in the past. Now the year is 2006
and we are number two out of all the SUNY schools. Our acceptance
rate is 35 percent, the same as John Hopkins University and less than
New York University's and Emory University's acceptance rates of 37
percent. Ninety two percent of the incoming freshmen had high school
averages of 85 and higher. It's hard to live down a reputation; it
takes time for old reputations to die and new ones to form, as we are
finding out.

What about all of the good things that this school has accomplished?
How many times do the Red Cross and countless Greek organizations
sponsor blood drives here? Don't we have book, clothing and food
drives? Don't the various on-campus organizations host educational
and fun programs? We give back to our community.

The criteria used to create the top 10 list was created included how
actively students had lobbied to change the drug policies on campus.
While NORML/SSDP lobbied many times to change the drug policies of
this school, truth be known they failed more times than they
succeeded. The number seven spot is flanked by other schools whose
NORML chapters made a lot of noise but didn't accomplish as much as
they wanted. If anything, this number seven spot reflects the active
campus government that we have.

There are all kinds of students in New Paltz. Some smoke pot and some
don't. Diversity is a precious commodity on a campus. Not just
diversity of race, but a diversity of lifestyles and ideas. That is
what we have here in New Paltz - diversity. Sure, the loud lobbyists
tend to stick out, but don't rule out the rest of us here who don't
smoke weed, but drink, or those who don't do either.

We may make a more boring headline - Socially Active and
Well-Adjusted College Students Do Well - but this is who we are and
we should be portrayed as such. Print Article | Send Article | More Opinions

The New Paltz Oracle holds assignment meetings every Sunday at 7 p.m.
in the Student Union Building, room 417. Articles, photographs and
illustrations are assigned to the pool of staff and contributors.

Deadlines for submissions by staff and contributors are Friday at 5
p.m. in The Oracle newsroom in the Student Union Building (SUB) room 417.

The Oracle online edition only includes select articles from the
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