Students find it easy to get high on campus

KATIE MCNULTY STAFFWRITER KMM725@CABRINI EDU

Marijuana, cocaine and prescription pills continue to be extremely accessible for students to obtain on campus, and the distributors of these drugs have no fear of getting caught. Back in December, former news editor Lauren Reilly reported on the accessibility of drugs on campus. She discovered marijuana can be found anywhere on campus and can be placed in the palms of your hands in a matter of minutes. Students involved in the use and sale of drugs have continued business as usual even though their playing field has been exposed.

Sitting on the shuttle, I overhear two guys having a conversation. I interrupt them and ask them if they know where I can get some drugs on campus and how long it would take.

The one guy says, “It depends on what you want, if you want marijuana, I could have it to you by the time you return to Cabrini on the shuttle. Anything else might take one or two phone calls.”

One student says, “As long as you have the right phone number in your cell phone, you can get pretty much anything.”

This may seem pretty shocking to some students and faculty, but drug use on the Cabrini campus is not any more a problem than it is on other college campuses. According to The University of Michigan, “Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use,” 35.9 percent of college students use marijuana. Cocaine use by college students has varied over the past 10 years, from a low of 2.0 percent in 1994 to a high of 5.4 percent in 2003.

With drug sales occurring so frequently, it is quite obvious that students do not fear getting caught.

One student says, “The people that sell, did it before they got here and are pretty good about not doing anything stupid. In the fall, a student was raided after much investigation. For about two weeks, people were a little scared of getting caught, but real soon everything went back to normal.”

This is not surprising to Charles Shaffner, director of Public Safety. “Right after a drug arrest or an incident of assault occurs, students fear consequences, but the further you get from the incident the less the fear becomes,” he said.

According to the Cabrini College Drug Policy, there are many consequences a student can face if caught on campus. If a student is caught using, possessing or being under the influence of cocaine, they will face suspension or expulsion. If a student is caught using, possessing or being under the influence of marijuana, they will face disciplinary probation, plus an automatic fine of $100 up to and including suspension or expulsion from the college. The college reserves the right to sanction both the residents of the room where violations occur and or those present at the time of the violation. Possession of bongs, pipes and rolling papers is also in violation of the Cabrini Drug Policy. The sanction for this is disciplinary probation, and/or loss of campus housing and an automatic $50 fine.

Even knowing the consequences, the users and dealers of drugs continue their everyday routine.

One student says, “I smoke blunts out here everyday when I want and wherever I want.”

Public Safety and Residence Life work together to monitor drug use and sales on campus.

Residence Life and Public Safety documents cases of drug use.

“Sometimes we work together. With the raid in the fall,