STUDENT GROUP WAITING TO SEE OU'S NEXT STEP ON POT RULES

No definite date has yet been set for the first meeting of the new school
year by Ohio University's Review and Standards Committee.

The committee is in the midst of reviewing proposed amendments to OU's
Student Code of Conduct, including a controversial stiffening of penalties
for student possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Contacted Sept. 20, Richard Carpinelli, OU assistant vice president for
student affairs, reported that he expected the Review and Standards
Committee to convene "sometime in the next several weeks," but had not yet
scheduled the meeting.

A student group that organized opposition to stiffening the university's
pot penalties, meanwhile, is satisfied that its efforts at publicizing the
issue have succeeded in making sure no changes will be made in the conduct
code without sufficient input from students.

"My impression is that (Carpinelli) is not going to go ahead and try to
slip this through without letting the students know, because that didn't
work too well the last time," said Meredith Long, vice president of OU's
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) on Sunday.

Last spring quarter, committee officials announced that they planned to
hold a public meeting before the summer break, in order to allow interested
parties to offer public input on any changes to OU's student conduct rules
regarding pot.

In late May, however, Carpinelli informed committee members that he wasn't
able to work such a meeting into his schedule, and it would not take place
until after classes resumed for fall quarter.

In late 2001, the committee had revealed that it was close to voting on
proposed changes to the code of conduct, including an amendment that would
increase the potential disciplinary penalties for students caught with
small amounts of marijuana.

Reportedly, the committee, which includes student members, was ready to
recommend to the OU Board of Trustees that marijuana possession be
increased from a class B to a class A offense, with a maximum penalty of
expulsion. The current penalty is disciplinary probation, which can mean
suspension if probation is violated.

When word got out about the proposed changes to the marijuana rules,
however, many students, led by SSDP, quickly mobilized to delay, and if
possible derail, the committee's vote. Long said she believes the ability
of the group to quickly spread the news on the proposed changes, and line
up opposition support among both students and faculty, helped to push the
committee to delay the vote and open up its decision-making process.
Supporters of SSDP's position, she said, include some individual members of
OU Student Senate and numerous faculty members.

The student concerns prompted the committee to postpone voting on the
conduct code changes. Committee members met with SSDP representatives, and
promised to schedule public meetings to allow students and other interested
parties to offer their input on the proposed amendments.

Long said that currently SSDP is not communicating further with the
committee regarding the content of the proposed conduct code changes, but
is waiting to offer input at the public meeting. "We're not dealing with it
hands-on now," she explained. "Because we've managed to stop (the vote),
and that was our goal."

Punishment for marijuana possession is not the only topic under
consideration by the Review and Standards Committee. Also being discussed
are proposed changes in the appeals process of OU Judiciaries, which
handles disciplinary cases, and clearly distinguishing conduct code
violations involving harm to oneself (by excessive drinking, for example)
from those involving harm to others.

SSDP has scheduled a "Know Your Rights" educational event for students on
Wednesday, at 9 p.m. in Baker Center's 1954 Room, with attorney David Baer,
director of the Center for Student Advocacy.