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GOING TO POT

SUNY-New Paltz Students And Village Officials Rally For A Change In College Drug Policy

Approximately 150 students turned out for a rally outside the Haggarty Administration building on the SUNY-New Paltz campus this past Friday, calling for a moratorium on student expulsion for possession of controlled substances.  Students that had been expelled spoke at the rally and were joined by Ulster County legislator Hector Rodriguez [D-New Paltz], New Paltz village mayor Jason West, New Paltz village trustee Michael Zierler, student senator chair Justin Holmes and student senator Jenny Loeb. 

At the afternoon rally, petitions calling for a moratorium, with more than 750 student signatures, were taped up outside the Haggarty Administration building and were still there throughout the rainy weekend, awaiting the return of members of the college's administration to their offices Monday morning. 

According to the college drug policy, students caught with a controlled substance are automatically expelled, except for first-time marijuana offenders who may be disciplined or expelled at the college's discretion.  Students caught with "drug paraphernalia" can also be expelled. 

The student senate, of which Holmes is the president, passed two resolutions urging college president Steve Poskanzer to place a moratorium on expulsions until a new policy could be established, allowing for more flexibility and due process.  "Students caught using marijuana or with drug equipment are automatically expelled after two such incidents without legal or in-house review," said Holmes. 

The SUNY administration is holding firm on its position that the drug policies are fair and in line with other college campuses, and released a statement the day of the rally.  "The college administration at the State University of New York at New Paltz has met with student leaders on two separate occasions to discuss the proposed relaxation of the campus' drug policy, and the only person who spoke in favor of the resolution was Justin Holmes.  Other students spoke against it.  The College believes that its current policy is consistent with our educational mission and State and Federal Law.  The policy is fair and has worked well for New Paltz for many years.  The college has no plans to change the campus' drug policy."

Mayor West defended the students, saying that he believed "drug abuse should be treated as a public health issue and not a criminal issue."

"I've been told by the college administration that they have the resources to help students with drug problems," he said.  "Why would a student try and seek help for a drug addiction when they know that they could risk expulsion and losing a chance at getting a higher education? It doesn't make sense.  There is a great difference between recreational use of substances and addiction.  I've had friends that have successfully recovered from addictions when they've been given the help and resources they need to succeed.  I've had other friends that have died from overdoses.  I would think that the college could better spend their energy and resources helping students with these types of problems rather than expelling them.  What is that going to achieve?"

Kate Cozik is a second-semester freshman who was expelled for two pot offenses she denies committing.  The art education mayor says that she is currently appealing the decision to expel her and that her parents are considering hiring an attorney. 

"It is very upsetting," she said.  "The first offense was when a friend and I were burning incense in the room and they thought it smelled like pot and the second offense was when they found a spoof in my room [a handmade bong made with a paper towel role and a dryer sheet]." Cozik says that while she has tried marijuana in the past, she does not smoke pot. 

According to West, Poskanzer called him before the rally took place to ask him not to come on campus and speak.  "He told me that this was not a village issue and that if I came to speak that I could severely harm the relationship between the village and the college," said the mayor.  "I am a SUNY-New Paltz alumni, I represent everyone who lives in the village including these students, and if I disagree with a policy that constantly threatens to evict our residents without due legal process, then I will stand up and defend them."

West added that he does "not appreciate Poskanzer's implied threat that my decision to come onto campus and speak, could harm the village and college relationship.  But using intimidation to keep me off the university is unacceptable."

"As a public institution, the college respects everyone's first amendment rights," said Eric Gullickson, the media relations coordinator at SUNY-New Paltz. 

Trustee Zierler, a few days away from an election, was also on campus.  "I didn't know if I would have enough time to research this issue, talk with the student government and with representatives of the administration and form an opinion before the rally was going to take place," he said, in response to an earlier Poughkeepsie Journal article that said he would not be attending and that West and deputy mayor Rebecca Rotzler were "dodging phone calls." West maintains that the reporter called him while he was driving and so he couldn't talk and Rotzler was at work. 

Once the issues were explained, Zierler added, "I decided to put in the time to research the issue and the policy."

Zierler said he decided that it was his responsibility to represent the students who he felt were not having their voice heard.  "The people who are here today feel that the administration is not willing to listen to them or to sit down with them and take a serious look at this policy which they claim is unfair and unjust," he said.  "They haven't been given ample opportunity to express their views and have them heard.  I represent everyone who lives in this village whether they are students or not, whether they vote or not, whether they own a home or not.  And I am someone who firmly believes that all residents deserve to have their voices heard."