AU’s Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services warned on-campus residents of the University’s marijuana policy in a Feb. 16 email.
The email highlighted the disciplinary consequences of possessing or smoking marijuana and pointed out the academic and professional implications of marijuana violations.
AU has the following consequences for students caught with marijuana:
• AU notifies parents of students under 21 years of age
• Students are placed on Disciplinary Probation, which leads to additional consequences if the student repeats the offense
• The violation is placed on a student’s record, which can be looked at by other universities or future employers
Rosie McSweeney, the director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services, said the email was sent out to remind students about AU’s policy. She said she felt students were not adequately informed about the consequences, such as parental notification.
“When I speak with students, I think some of them tell me that marijuana smoking on campus is pretty normal, and so I think my hope was just to get more information out so that students can make informed decisions,” McSweeney said.
The University is required by law to keep disciplinary records seven years after the final notification of disciplinary action. Any releases of disciplinary records are in accordance to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
School of Public Affairs freshman and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy member Sam McBee disagreed with the email. He posted a letter on Facebook and submitted the letter to this reporter.
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy is a national organization committed to drug reform.
In the letter he criticized the University’s drug policy sanctions, saying it harmed students.
“When numerous students who perform well in class, participate in clubs and organizations, and truly strive to make a positive difference, are hindered not because they use cannabis, but because of the harsh punishments for using cannabis, then we have a serious problem,” he wrote.
