MAN DISRUPTS NORML MEETING

Allegations against a Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship member were filed
last week after he was accused of disrupting a marijuana-awareness
group's meeting and sending a woman into hysterics.

Josh Manning, president of UF's National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws, filed the complaint against UF telecommunications
junior Joseph Benson on Friday in response to Benson's alleged
unprompted testimony at the meeting.

"[Benson's] comments were found offensive and completely disrupted the
educational environment we were in," Manning wrote in his complaint to
the Dean of Students Office.

"They were acting as representatives of Chi Alpha, handing out fliers
for their organization and trying to infuse their organization's
propaganda into our members," Manning said.

However, Benson said he entered the NORML meeting out of curiosity and
was not acting as a representative of Chi Alpha.

He said he did not preach to NORML members or hand out fliers, but
calmly spoke when he was recognized.

"[The speaker] had said some stuff that wasn't true and doesn't line
up with what the Bible says," Benson said.

"I just felt that I didn't want him to share things that weren't true
and lead kids to believe that pot use is OK."

He said the woman believed to be in hysterics approached him after the
meeting and wanted to understand why God was not healing her mother's
arthritis.

"I told her the Lord would heal her mother's arthritis, but there were
other things she had to do first," Benson said.

Benson said the woman cried when he, along with four Chi Alpha
members, began a prayer circle for her after the NORML meeting.

"[NORML members] just assumed that because she was crying I was one of
the typical campus preachers on Turlington," Benson said.

Manning informed Benson that he wouldn't file a complaint if Benson
apologized to NORML members.

"He refused this offer and informed me that the only reason that he
would ever return to one of our NORML meetings would be to create a
similar situation," Manning wrote in the letter.

Benson said he is sorry that Manning was offended by the gospel. "I
wanted everyone in there to know that Jesus loves them, and that's
much better than pot," Benson said.