ARTS pg. 4: James Kaye goes from the locker room to the stage
Thursday, November 7, 2013
www.mustangnews.net
Volume LXXVIII, Number 16
Dogs sniff out drugs on campus ESTEBAN YANEZ AND SEAN MCMINN
@CPMustangNews
University police and Cal Poly University Housing have coordinated to use drug-sniffing dogs in the on-campus residence halls to follow up on suspected drug sales, and University Police Chief George Hughes is hoping to boost their use in the coming months as a general deterrent against drugs in the dorms. Cal Poly most recently worked with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff in March of this year to bring in one dog and “sweep” the Poly Canyon Village apartments, Hughes said. According to Hughes, police issued one citation for marijuana when the dog came to campus. Emails obtained through the California Public Records Act show police also tried to bring dogs into the halls on Oct. 17 to “hit as many areas as possible with 3 dogs.” University Police Department (UPD) was not able to, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff spokesperson Tony Cipolla said, because the dogs were already being used that day. Hughes wrote in an email to University Housing Associate Director Carole Schaffer that the dogs will most likely come to campus in November instead. University Housing and university police are not alone in their support of using drug-sniffing dogs in random sweeps. When contacted by Mustang News, Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey voiced his support for the tactic. “As vice president for student affairs, I support the random drug sweeps by the K-9 unit,” he said in a statement. “I am deeply concerned about our students’ health, safety and academic success. I know when students engage in the use of illegal drugs they not only compromise their health, safety and academic success, but that of those
who live around them.” Cal Poly administrators’ support for the practice comes with the backing of the law, said Steve Graham, a criminal defense lawyer in Washington State who frequently represents college students. Graham, who blogged online two years ago about college students’ rights in on-campus housing, said the practice is legal at California state schools, especially if the dogs stay in hallways where police are already allowed. Universities are increasing their use of drug-sniffing dogs in residence halls because of concerns about the decriminalization of marijuana, he said. “It’s something you see more and more of, and it’s really a kind of backlash of the decriminalization of marijuana and medical cannabis movements,” Graham said. “The colleges are really scared marijuana usage will increase on their campus.” University Housing staff, however, do not ex-
plicitly tell residents that dogs could be searching their buildings. By informing students when the dogs could be coming, Hughes said it could defeat the purpose of bringing them in. “If students know that on a certain date that we are going to have drug dogs here, then obviously they wouldn’t have any drugs on campus,” he said. In an early October email to Schaffer obtained through the records request, Hughes addressed this communication with on-campus residents: “Someone was under the impression we see DOGS pg. 2
New dietician creates wave of change BROOKE SPERBECK
@BrookeSperbeck7
SOPHIA LIU/MUSTANG NEWS
Campus Dining registered dietician Megan Coats was hired to help educate students on available dietary options on campus and work with chefs to incorporate healthier food.
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SPORTS pg. 10 Football takes on Sacramento State
Students concerned with their nutrition now have a new resource available to help them make informed choices when eating on campus. For the last two months, Megan Coats — Campus Dining’s new registered dietician — has been educating students on what dietary options are available at campus dining facilities, she said. “As the registered dietician for Campus Dining, I give Campus Dining tours, showcasing opportunities to eat healthy, working with the chefs trying to incorporate more healthy foods around campus, as well as helping students with dietary restrictions and navigate the campus options that we have to offer,” Coats said.
In recent years, Campus Dining noticed the need for additional support services for students with dietary restrictions, said Yukie Murphy, Campus Dining marketing and public relations manager. To address these concerns, Campus Dining hired Coats and created the gluten-free kitchen at 19 Metro Station, Murphy said. “Those things we wanted to have in place for the incoming freshmen, knowing that there is a need for it, there is a population here that would like it,” Murphy said. Erin Heidenreich, a nutrition sophomore and Campus Dining peer support counselor, is a student with dietary concerns. Living in the freshmen residence halls last year with Celiac disease and dairy and soy allergies, Heidenreich struggled to find meals that fit her diet.
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“At first I lived in the dorms, and it was a little bit challenging to find things to eat,” Heidenreich said. “Then I met with Yukie and different people in Campus Dining to kind of change a couple things in Campus Dining to make it more accessible to eat on campus with dietary restrictions.” According to Heidenreich, who now offers support and advice to other students with dietary concerns, Coats’ expertise will help educate students so they can make informed eating choices not only on campus, but off campus as well. “She’s really knowledgeable, and she knows a lot in the field, in nutrition and dietary restrictions too, so she’s just a good liaison for Campus Dining and the students,” Heidenreich said. see DIET, pg. 2
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