Public Safety sees increase in drug dealers

By The Beacon | November 16, 2011 9:00pm

Total number of drug violations remain the same

By Rachel McIntosh Staff Writer mcintosh14@up.edu

Under the University's no-tolerance drug policy, Public Safety has uncovered six drug violations since August, involving students both dealing and using marijuana and paraphernalia.

"We suspect that there is some dealing going on because of, not so much the amounts of stuff we've been finding, but the stuff that goes on scales and the baggies," Harold Burke-Sivers, Director of Public Safety said. "When you see that kind of stuff, you have to assume there's some distribution going on."

The number of total violations has not increased from previous years, but the number of suspected dealers is appearing to climb, according to Burke-Sivers.

"We're not talking about a huge amount," Burke-Sivers said. "We're talking about maybe one or two students (who are dealing), but that's one or two too many."

All of the six violations occurred within the dorms and were reported by a third party, according to Burke-Sivers.

"So if we find someone using we will ask 'Where are you getting it?' and that leads us to other students who we think might be dealing as well," Burke-Sivers said. "Then we address them to try and figure out where they are getting it from."

All students found in possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia are turned over to Public Safety and then to the Student Conduct Coordinator, Natalie Shank.

"I think this stuff goes on at campuses all over the country," Burke-Sivers said. "But the thing is, a lot of larger schools probably wouldn't see this as a big issue, especially in this part of the country where medical marijuana is legalized. But here on this campus, we do not condone drug use at all in any form, not matter how harmless students think it is, or what effects they think it has."


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