NO DRUGS IN MY HALL

Living in the dorms promises many things. Students get to live on campus.
They get to experience the difficulty of managing meal points, and they get
the opportunity to make a lot of great friends. One thing living in the
dorms shouldn't promise is allowing students to live with drug users,
especially since freshmen will be required to live in the dorms next year.

It's usually passed off as laughable. When someone jokes about another's
drug use, it is usually taken lightly and considered merely a character
flaw, if anything. Just in case you've smoked yourself into oblivion and
forgotten, we are in college now. We've been lectured for years on the
dangers of drugs, and we are now at the age that is considered the zenith
of their use. Habitual users typically consume more drugs during their late
teens and early 20s than at any other age, according to information
compiled by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 1998.

In 2000, The Chronicle of Higher Education published a U.S. Education
Department survey revealing IU's Bloomington campus as ranking the third
highest among 4-year colleges in drug arrests. The number of these arrests
has steadily risen in the past few years. According to statistics available
on the IU Police Department Web site (www.indiana.edu/~iupd/), drug arrests
in residential facilities have consistently made up the majority of all
drug law violations on the Bloomington campus from 1999-2001.

I find it irritating how drug-abusing campus residents seem to think they
wield an inherent right to use drugs in the dorms. I've spoken with several
students who are equally irritated. Occasionally we like to study, and for
the most part we would like to study without having to smell somebody's
stinky marijuana joint. It's not just the drugs that bother us -- it's the
unsafe environment that pervasive drug use (of any kind) creates. When
shady visitors come banging on the door, demanding money, innocent
residents can oftentimes be the target of their drug-induced anger.

Contrary to the beliefs of our drug-using peers, this is a drug-free,
alcohol-free campus. Among other things, it is a learning institution and
not a haven for rampant drug use. That's why we're all here, right? If you
don't agree, then college is definitely not for you. There is no reason why
you should be pissing your money away if you're going to hinder your
opportunities by doing drugs. Heck, save the money you spend on tuition and
spend it on more drugs.

Drug use in the dorms infringes upon the rights of students who follow the
Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Section III, Part B,
22-24) as well as federal and state laws. Although it is unrealistic to try
to make every student on campus remain drug free, much more should be done
to protect the rights of those who wish to study, sleep, socialize and live
in the dorms without having to deal with other residents' illegal behavior.
This protection is the responsibility of everyone though, not just the
administration.

Campus residents concerned about their safety should not sit idly and watch
their way of living become distracted by the unfortunate habits of others.
If you know of illegal activity going on in your residence hall, talk to
your resident assistant or contact the IUPD at 855-4111. To those of you
who rely on drugs and feel that state and federal laws don't apply to you,
find another college.