GOING TO POT

SUNY-New Paltz Students And Village Officials Rally For A Change In College
Drug Policy

Approximately 150 students turned out for a rally outside the Haggarty
Administration building on the SUNY-New Paltz campus this past Friday,
calling for a moratorium on student expulsion for possession of controlled
substances. Students that had been expelled spoke at the rally and were
joined by Ulster County legislator Hector Rodriguez [D-New Paltz], New
Paltz village mayor Jason West, New Paltz village trustee Michael Zierler,
student senator chair Justin Holmes and student senator Jenny Loeb.

At the afternoon rally, petitions calling for a moratorium, with more than
750 student signatures, were taped up outside the Haggarty Administration
building and were still there throughout the rainy weekend, awaiting the
return of members of the college's administration to their offices Monday
morning.

According to the college drug policy, students caught with a controlled
substance are automatically expelled, except for first-time marijuana
offenders who may be disciplined or expelled at the college's discretion.
Students caught with "drug paraphernalia" can also be expelled.

The student senate, of which Holmes is the president, passed two
resolutions urging college president Steve Poskanzer to place a moratorium
on expulsions until a new policy could be established, allowing for more
flexibility and due process. "Students caught using marijuana or with drug
equipment are automatically expelled after two such incidents without legal
or in-house review," said Holmes.

The SUNY administration is holding firm on its position that the drug
policies are fair and in line with other college campuses, and released a
statement the day of the rally. "The college administration at the State
University of New York at New Paltz has met with student leaders on two
separate occasions to discuss the proposed relaxation of the campus' drug
policy, and the only person who spoke in favor of the resolution was Justin
Holmes. Other students spoke against it. The College believes that its
current policy is consistent with our educational mission and State and
Federal Law. The policy is fair and has worked well for New Paltz for many
years. The college has no plans to change the campus' drug policy."

Mayor West defended the students, saying that he believed "drug abuse
should be treated as a public health issue and not a criminal issue."

"I've been told by the college administration that they have the resources
to help students with drug problems," he said. "Why would a student try and
seek help for a drug addiction when they know that they could risk
expulsion and losing a chance at getting a higher education? It doesn't
make sense. There is a great difference between recreational use of
substances and addiction. I've had friends that have successfully recovered
from addictions when they've been given the help and resources they need to
succeed. I've had other friends that have died from overdoses. I would
think that the college could better spend their energy and resources
helping students with these types of problems rather than expelling them.
What is that going to achieve?"

Kate Cozik is a second-semester freshman who was expelled for two pot
offenses she denies committing. The art education mayor says that she is
currently appealing the decision to expel her and that her parents are
considering hiring an attorney.

"It is very upsetting," she said. "The first offense was when a friend and
I were burning incense in the room and they thought it smelled like pot and
the second offense was when they found a spoof in my room [a handmade bong
made with a paper towel role and a dryer sheet]." Cozik says that while she
has tried marijuana in the past, she does not smoke pot.

According to West, Poskanzer called him before the rally took place to ask
him not to come on campus and speak. "He told me that this was not a
village issue and that if I came to speak that I could severely harm the
relationship between the village and the college," said the mayor. "I am a
SUNY-New Paltz alumni, I represent everyone who lives in the village
including these students, and if I disagree with a policy that constantly
threatens to evict our residents without due legal process, then I will
stand up and defend them."

West added that he does "not appreciate Poskanzer's implied threat that my
decision to come onto campus and speak, could harm the village and college
relationship. But using intimidation to keep me off the university is
unacceptable."

"As a public institution, the college respects everyone's first amendment
rights," said Eric Gullickson, the media relations coordinator at SUNY-New
Paltz.

Trustee Zierler, a few days away from an election, was also on campus. "I
didn't know if I would have enough time to research this issue, talk with
the student government and with representatives of the administration and
form an opinion before the rally was going to take place," he said, in
response to an earlier Poughkeepsie Journal article that said he would not
be attending and that West and deputy mayor Rebecca Rotzler were "dodging
phone calls." West maintains that the reporter called him while he was
driving and so he couldn't talk and Rotzler was at work.

Once the issues were explained, Zierler added, "I decided to put in the
time to research the issue and the policy."

Zierler said he decided that it was his responsibility to represent the
students who he felt were not having their voice heard. "The people who are
here today feel that the administration is not willing to listen to them or
to sit down with them and take a serious look at this policy which they
claim is unfair and unjust," he said. "They haven't been given ample
opportunity to express their views and have them heard. I represent
everyone who lives in this village whether they are students or not,
whether they vote or not, whether they own a home or not. And I am someone
who firmly believes that all residents deserve to have their voices heard."