CONFAB CALLS FOR HUMANE DRUG PLAN

Drug-policy activists throughout the Midwest convened in the IMU over the
weekend to tout student involvement and promote changes in drug-violation
procedures at public universities nationwide, including the UI.

The conference, sponsored by the Students for a Sensible Drug Policy,
encouraged a proactive, treatment-based approach to deter drug possession -
a "zero tolerance" offense at the UI that can lead to expulsion from the
residence halls.

"We believe that many aspects of the country's current approach to drugs
have failed," said Scarlett Swerdlow, the national group's executive
director. "Punishment should not include threatening students' ability to
get an education because of past mistakes."

Drug-related convictions can disqualify students from scholarships, lead to
expulsion, and create an assortment of future problems, she said. Such
punishments can cause further dependency on drugs or alcohol, thus harming
more than they help, she contended.

The problem has touched the UI as well, leading a handful of students to
drop out, said UI senior George Pappas, the drug group's UI chapter
president and a member of the group's national board of directors.

"I knew a group of five people who got kicked out of the dorms and arrested
for having [a minuscule amount] of marijuana," he said. "One of them ended
up transferring to a community college, and another dropped out of school
completely. It started a downward spiral."

Jess Sellers, the director of the University Counseling Services and the
Center for Collegiate Behavioral Health at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, said recurring problems can be prevented if universities
commit themselves to treating - not just punishing - drug offenders. Such
solutions will lessen the chance of a relapse, he said.

"[Universities shouldn't] just throw people off of campus but give them an
opportunity to get better," he said. "I would like to see students taking
more responsibility for themselves and for each other."

Sellers said his plan seems more the exception rather than the rule; he
knows of only two other universities that offer treatment housing.

"I'm amazed that colleges and universities haven't done this sort of thing
before," he said. "We all need to get more involved."

Ethan Nadelmann, a prominent drug-policy activist who led one discussion,
said such involvement is imperative for students to make their voices heard.

"Universities have become accustomed to an apathetic student body," said
Nadelmann, the founder and executive director of the New York-based Drug
Policy Alliance. "Read the rule book so you know it as well or better than
the administration. Anybody can become an expert."

Turnout at the conference was lower than expected, and many scheduled
speakers did not attend. Among them were Phillip Jones, the UI vice
president for Student Services, who said he could not attend because of a
heavy schedule, Charles Green, the assistant vice president for the UI
police, and Von Stange, the director of UI Residence Services.