May 7

Major Drug Bust on Campus

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Federal officials on Tuesday announced that they had arrested 75 San Diego State University students on drug charges, as well as 21 non-students. The announcement came at the culmination of an undercover investigation on San Diego State’s campus — led by university police and involving federal agents — launched after a student died of a drug overdose last May.

Individuals were arrested on charges ranging from possessing marijuana to selling cocaine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported that evidence seized includes four pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 48 hydroponic marijuana plants, 350 ecstasy pills, psilocybin (mushrooms), 30 vials of hash oil, methamphetamine, a variety of illicit prescription drugs, one shotgun, three semiautomatic pistols, three brass knuckles and $60,000 in cash.

In a news release, federal officials said that undercover agents had “infiltrated” seven fraternities, where they were able to purchase cocaine from fraternity members. One member of Theta Chi fraternity allegedly sent a mass text message to “faithful customers” indicating that he and his “associates” would be away in Las Vegas for the weekend and therefore unavailable, but that they were having a cocaine “sale.”

“The use and/or trafficking in illegal substances are inconsistent with our values and with the pursuit of our mission,” San Diego State’s president, Stephen L. Weber, said in a written statement. Students who were arrested have been suspended pending a due process review, he said, and those who lived in university housing have been evicted.

“Certainly today’s arrests underscore the scope of the challenges universities face as we fight this major societal problem. We are determined to remove people from our community who have placed our students at risk, and to see that they are turned over to the criminal justice system,” Weber said.

“We tend to think about drug use as something that happens in other places, and not necessarily something that’s happening on our pristine campuses steeped in all of our tradition,” said Tom Hall, director of alcohol and other drug prevention programming at the University of Central Florida and chair of the American College Personnel Association’s Commission for Alcohol and Other Drug Issues.

“I think it’s important to recognize that the market’s going to dictate that people go where there’s opportunity. And strictly from the notion of demand and availability, if there’s a demand, then it’s going to find its way onto your campus,” Hall said.

“I think that a lot of the drug activity other than alcohol is very undercover, very underground,” added Robyn Priest, assistant dean for alcohol and drug education at Boston College and immediate past chair of the ACPA commission. She pointed out that only very small proportions of college students report abusing drugs other than alcohol, marijuana and prescription medications — but while a distinct minority, those students using other drugs do exist.

“In terms of a massive [drug] operation like this, I think it’s somewhat of a rarity. But then again there is a percentage of students who use other drugs and a pretty solid percentage who use marijuana, so they have to be getting it from somewhere.”

— Elizabeth Redden

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Comments

Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

As I watched the arrests and President Weber make his announcements for cable TV, I wondered what the rules are at San Diego State which permit 75 students accused of a crime to be immediately suspended and evicted from the campus by the order of the President? Or is this simply grandstanding for the media? I am eagerly awaiting the comments of Larry and other legal experts on this one. Thanks.

Keith Johnson, at 7:35 am EDT on May 7, 2008

More young lives destroyed by the war on drugs. Legalize, regulate and tax drugs to end this madness.

End This War Too, at 7:35 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Drugs on Campus

What would you prefer, Ken? That they stay on campus to continue their illicit behavior? They have no legal right to occupy campus housing.

Parent, at 8:25 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Suspended/expelled for being arrested

We recently had a similar case at my upstate NY school. One kid was heading back to campus, and was caught with booze, swords, and an illegal rife in his car. He was suspended for two years, and hasn’t been to trial yet. I’m not quite sure how this happens.

JimBob Jones, at 9:00 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Are you in denial?

Drugs and alcohol on college campus’ have been around as long as colleges have been around. The San Diego Campus is known as a party campus. If you have a child on this campus and don’t believe they have experimented or partied to the full extent of the word PARTY, you are in denial! Should they be suspended? I don’t agree. Should they live on campus? I don’t know. But to believe that this is not a problem on all campus’ across the world is why we have a problem.

Mom of 3, at 9:50 am EDT on May 7, 2008

It just might be nice to have a trial before we convict them as guilty and kick them out. You know, that is the way it’s supposed to work in this country...

Carlo, at 9:55 am EDT on May 7, 2008

A challenge football officials face each year is attempting to explain to people that the NFL, the NCAA and high schools have different sets of rules with many significant differences. The same concept applies to the authority of an institution to suspend students and require them to vacate campus housing under certain circumstances. SDSU is acting well within its rights to suspend the students and/or remove them from campus pending a hearing. This isn’t the criminal justice system.

Boots On The Ground, at 9:55 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Parallel Universes

To “Parent,” I see that my comments about the San Diego State were interpreted as if I was also questioning the arrests. The purpose of an arrest is to prevent additional crimes, as I understand it, and the judge who will hear these cases will probably resease the students under court order to stay away from drugs, so any infraction will threeaten incarceration. The court system is designed to manage exactly the situation you fear. Merely evicting the arrestees will allow them to return to their illegal activities off campus. So? The legal route is a universe that is clearly defined under the laws and the Constitution. What about the University (over)reaction? That is a different matter, and I raised the question of whether it is legal, in part, because President Weber acknowledged that no faculty had been informed of the matter. This will no doubt unfold and we will all learn something. By the way, I am a parent too.

Keith Johnson, at 9:55 am EDT on May 7, 2008

With acts that constitute major violations of policy, or when students pose a serious threat to campus security, many schools allow for students to be suspended in the interim, prior to a hearing regarding whatever rules they are charged with violating.

I can’t speak for SDSU, it makes a great deal of sense to protect the community in a situation like this. Imagine the distraction for the community if these students remained on campus before a hearing. Imagine also the distraction if these students were permitted to stay in school until a criminal trial occurred. While a conduct hearing could be organized quickly, criminal proceedings could take months to come to a conclusion. The school, while they owe these students the fairness that comes with a hearing, owes the other students (who have not been arrested for selling drugs) an environment where they can learn without reasonable distractions.

Drugs certainly have a negative impact on the campus community whether the situation involves students or faculty/staff (as in the case of an Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at Ohio State who was recently arrested in his home for possession of crystal meth, and has been suspended pending an investigation). These situations should not affect the other students more than they have already.

Geoff, at 9:55 am EDT on May 7, 2008

From SDSU Conduct Code

ARTICLE VI: INTERIM SUSPENSION

1. Grounds A president may impose an interim suspension where he or she believes that there is reasonable cause to believe that separation of a student is necessary to protect the personal safety of persons within the university community, property of the university or to ensure the maintenance of order (Section 41302 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations). 2. Notice and Opportunity for HearingA student placed on interim suspension is given prompt notice of the charges pending against him or her and the opportunity for a hearing within ten working days of the imposition of the suspension (Section 41302 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations). Where a timely request is made, a hearing will be held to determine whether continued suspension, pending the disciplinary hearing, is required to protect personal safety or property or to ensure the maintenance of order. This hearing may also serve as the disciplinary hearing in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article IV, provided that proper notice has been given. The hearing is conducted pursuant to the provisions of Article IV, Section 4 of these procedures

3. Denial of Presence on CampusDuring the period of an interim suspension, the student charged may not, without prior written permission from his or her campus president, enter any campus of the California State University other than to attend the hearing regarding the merits of his or her suspension. Violation of any condition of interim suspension shall be grounds for expulsion (Section 41302 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations).

This is why the President can remove the student(s) from campus per their threat to the academic institution.

bswecker, at 10:00 am EDT on May 7, 2008

End this war too.

I am with you on legalizing, regulating and taxing MJ like alcohol, but hard drugs too? Give purveyers of hard drugs the death penalty and be done with it.

Carrot and Stick, at 10:35 am EDT on May 7, 2008

busts

The story has enough questions to go around and reminds me of Dylan’s line: “Must bust in early May, orders from the DA.”

I question the story’s conflating the statistics between students and non-students: what did the students possess as opposed to the non-students? Who had the guns, the money and who was busted for possession? The story leads us to assume that the students are a. guilty and b. possessed the guns and the large amounts of drugs and c. that this was all on campus and in residence halls.

These assumptions seem to sit at the heart of the positions taken about “suspension without conviction” in most of the posts here.

theron, at 10:40 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Mother of 3

Dear mother of 3,

Are you on drugs?

Suspended should be first.Kicked out is next.

What’s been around longer is scripture, “Righteous exalts a nation” and of course others could be used. (and I think there should be more righteousness in our country).

Yes, drugs have always been around — do we dig our heads in a little deeper in the sand and say don’t deal with the problem?

All through Romans it say, No. nea. natta.Trying to add a little humor to throw off the anger we all should feel.

How about the 71 who died in the derailment last month? Kind of sad,if you ask me.

It all goes back to peoples’ world view and beliefs.

I’m taking my precious time to write this and hope only to stir up the good to accomplish a better world (Heb. 10).

K Kennard, EKU, at 10:40 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Get over it

As a former head of the Judicial Office at a senior public university, I can say it is routine to suspend persons who are arrested for serious drug violations. Universities are not held by the innocent until proven guilty clause, because we are not a court of law. So long as there is a policy that addresses this and it is clearly stated somewhere, probably the student handbook or the catalog, then the students have been given due process, which is all the university is required to give them. Let the courts decided guilt or innocence, but participating in activities that result in criminal arrests is grounds for dismissing a student to protect the interest of the university as well as the other students. Some of these students had guns, so what happens if they stay on campus and then shoot someone? The good of the many outweigh the perceived rights of the few.

Former Judicial Officer, at 11:35 am EDT on May 7, 2008

Interesting

I find it interesting that in situations where the insitution is knowledgeable of questionable or illegal activity and doesn’t take immediate action that the public get upset and allege that we are incompetent. Then when we do have knowledge of such information and take immediate (and appropriate) action we are questioned of overreacting.

The former judicial officer is absolutely correct. This is standard procedure and happens everyday on college campuses around the country. It just typically does not happen to this large of scale, so it is typically not picked up by national news and broadcast across the country.

Dan, at 1:00 pm EDT on May 7, 2008

SD DA Office Inflated Number of Arrests

Through the grapevine that the San Diego District Attorney gave erroneous figures of who was arrested in this major drug bust. The figures include people who were arrested throughout the year in various incidents. While the actual number of students were less than 25, it appears that national news would not have picked it up as headline news. Inflation in the numbers provides better press coverage for the DA Office.

Martha, at 7:15 pm EDT on May 7, 2008

No one else was howling at what the guy from UCF said about “pristine campuses"? Not since 1946, and certainly not since 1966.

CCPhysicist, at 5:00 am EDT on May 8, 2008

I dont see why everyone is so shocked. San Diego is known for partying especially their college campuses. Im leaving soon for florida to attend UCF and it would be naive of me to think that drugs will not be very prevalent. I would say 80% of my highschool drinks and experiments and 60% smoke daily and often use other drugs like cocaine. Im not a big fan of drugs, i hav experimented but it was not all its cracked out to be. Its time the government comes to accept that the war on drugs is about as hopeless as prohibition was 80 years ago. Everyone is using them down on into the elementary schools and im no saying its ok but, its happening. They need to control distribution, put a tax on it, and add some regulations to its use...iits time for change. quit ruining young peoples lives for something thats been happening for decades. its not gonna stop. Might as well control it. The government needs to stop letting marijuana at the very least be a street drug to help fund gangs. Smoking is too popular of a pastime to let it continue to be a gang bangers idustry. Decriminalize it already!.

Adam, Student at AHHs, at 3:15 pm EDT on May 13, 2008

Separation of markets

Hey, people,

joints are fun and you need to abuse them much more than alcohol and tobacco in order to suffer the recently-discovered health damages (whatever they are). Take up the Dutch tolerance model and stop playing thieves and coppers with human lives. For the record, I do not approve of the guns and knuckles, but, as someone before me noted, who owned what? Cannabis won’t go away cos (some) people want it to.....

damyan, at 4:20 pm EDT on September 5, 2008

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