DEALING WITH DRUG OFFENSES

It is no secret that any college campus is constantly faced with the issue
of illegal drug use. From marijuana, to cocaine, to ecstasy, illegal drugs
will inevitably find their way onto school grounds. For CNU, assessing and
responding to drugs on campus is a multi-faceted process.

The first step begins with identifying the situation, and in the case
where students live on campus, much of that responsibility falls on the
shoulders of resident assistants. "We don't want to put our student staff
in any danger. But we do have an expectation that our staff, when
necessary, will be the eyes and ears of the university," said Jerry
Roeder, director of residence life.

According to Roeder, RAs are trained to respond to any drug use or
suspicion of drug use that they find in a manner that emphasizes safety.
Hands-on training sessions take place in the beginning of each fall
semester. RAs run through scenarios where they may find themselves in a
situation where they would need to respond to a student using or
possessing drugs.

One of the aspects emphasized during the RA trainings is to never put
themselves in a situation of danger or direct contact, and that includes
confiscation. "The role that we want them to play is immediate referral to
university police," said Roeder.

Another key aspect in identifying drug use or possession on campus comes
in the form of the silent witness program - an anonymous, internet-based
reporting tool for students and faculty to use if they witness a drug or
any other type of violation on campus. This information is forwarded
directly to one of the university police's investigators.

According to University Chief of Police Jeffrey Brown, the information
they receive from students through both the Silent Witness program and
other means is vital in terms of appropriately addressing each situation.
"Patrol officers are very involved in community policing activities which
may include making presentations to student groups or simply talking to a
student with a question. These relationships often result in members of
the community sharing information to the police officers regarding illegal
drug trafficking." For instances where tips are received, one of the
investigative officers would validate the information and charge the
violator.

The role of CNU's investigative officer is to handle situations that
require more discernment. "As the investigator interviews the target,
additional probable cause may develop which could result in the
investigator conducting a lawful search," said Brown.

Responding to a drug situation as quickly and as accurately as possible is
important to CNU police, so they work the most when the need is greatest.
"We are most busy between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., so what we do is have two
shifts working during that time. We have more policemen when we are most
busy so that we can respond to calls for service in a timely manner," said
Brown.

All students who are found in possession of drugs are referred to the
Center for Honor Enrichment and Community Standards for judicial review
and in addition may face legal repercussions. "All felonies are
prosecuted," said Brown. "We would obtain a warrant and that goes to the
Newport News court system."

One of the key elements CNU's judicial process emphasizes is that a
violation is never a black-and-white scenario - each violation is handled
differently. "We are not an equation-based judicial process," said Kevin
Hughes, dean of students and the former director of CHECS. "We will
respond differently depending on the specifics of the case and the
individual."

Much of what determines each outcome is based upon the impact on the
community, and the impact on the individual. For example, selling
marijuana would be looked upon more harshly than personal use.

When determining individual punishments, CHECS uses what is referred to as
a quadrant-based approach, which consists of educational, developmental,
community contribution and punitive sanctions.

Marijuana 101 and Alcohol Education, two online courses added within the
last two years, would be examples of educational sanctions. The enlistment
of an outside counselor would be considered a developmental sanction.
Punitive, the harshest of the quadrant-based sanctions, refers to loss of
privilege, including removal from campus housing or suspension/expulsion
from the university.

In addition to sanctions, the university also encourages, but cannot
require, students with drug problems to make use of the counseling center.
"The purpose of the counseling center is not to be a sanction, it's to be
a resource for our students," said Hughes. "So if we can use that and it
helps them get back on track, then that's accomplished what we want."

Through the use of classes such as Marijuana 101 and with the aid of
services such as the counseling center, Hughes hopes to be able to reduce
the number of students who must face harsher punitive sanctions. "We're
not looking to get rid of anybody, but we want them to live up to our
expectations. Drug use and abuse has much greater implications beyond
here, and we want to get them off that train and back on to that train
that takes them through CNU as a graduate."