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North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804
November 21, 2014
OPINION & NEWS
Issue In-Focus: Students Respond to Penalties for Marijuana Possession
According to Edward Naylor, Vice
President for Student Affairs, the college is
enforcing the existing regulations as outlined
in the student handbook. In a drag case,
Dean Naylor or an Associate Dean—Jessie
Langley or Stephanie Battle—will meet with
a student who has been accused of using or
possessing marijuana During the meeting,
the administrator will review the facts of the
case as well as other pertinent matters and
then discuss possible sanctions, which typi
cally involve suspension for two semesters.
The accused then may elect to have the case
heard by the college’s Honor Board, which
is comprised of students, staff and faculty. If
the Honor Board finds that the accused has
violated the Student Code of Conduct, the
student will face sanctions that range from
probation to suspension to expulsion.
Through mid-November, Dean Naylor
reported, three Wesleyan students have been
suspended and two have been expelled. “All five
students were charged under the Student Code
of Conduct with drag violations and some had
charges additional to drag violations,” he said.
What’s your reaction to the proce
dures followed by the college in cases
involving marijuana possession?
Katie Beeman
I think it’s good that the school has
started cracking down more on the
marijuana problem. It’s something that
has gotten worse over the past couple of
years, and the rules and penalties need to
be followed. Marijuana is illegal, and by
having it, students are breaking the law.
That’s something that does not need to be
happening at Wesleyan, especially since
we’re a school that’s affiliated with the
Methodist Church. However, I do believe
that a violator should be suspended for
one semester rather than two. Being away
from college for a whole year is a big deal.
The student should be allowed to come
back after one semester and continue with
his education. Being in school would be
more helpful to that student, I think.
Tiffany Brown
The college is cracking down on
marijuana possession. I’m aware of students
who have been suspended or expelled
for marijuana. I find the sanctions to be
eye-raising. Marijuana is not legal, but at
the same time the drag has never killed
anyone. On the other hand, alcohol is a legal
substance that may cause one to be involved
in a drunk-driving accident, which can kill.
In light of these considerations, I’m not in
favor of the college’s current policy. I think
the administration should be more lenient. A
simple warning should be enough to teach
a student a lesson. With the current policy,
even if a student has committed his first
offense, he’s guaranteed to receive some
type of punishment. This will turn off some
students and decrease the student body at
a time when the college is trying to raise
enrollment to 1,000. Plus, you never know
who uses marijuana. It could be some of the
brightest students, with the highest GPAs.
I think the college should focus on more
important issues.
Trinity Carter
I think the enforcement of the zero-
tolerance policy is excessive. We’ve lost so
since 1960
"of, by, and for the Wesleyan community.”
Senior Staff Writers
Katie Beeman, Katherine
Crickmore, Rebecca Staylor,
KeCharna White
Staff Writers
Tiffany Brown, Trinity Carter,
Amanda Gauthier,
Shenika Harper, David Robinson,
Michael Taylor
Special Contributors
Grace Wallace (Photos)
Faculty Advisor
Dr. William Grattan
(ext 5336)
179 Braswell • Phone: 985-5336
Email: WJGrattan@ncwc.edu
many students in the last few weeks because
they got caught with weed or it “looked
like” they were smoking. But I wonder if
Wesleyan’s administration has ever thought
about why students are even smoking in
the first place. College can be a difficult
adjustment and very stressful. Maybe some
students have turned to marijuana to cope
with the changes they’re experiencing. In
stead of resorting to harsh penalties, maybe
Wesleyan should be helping the students.
College is supposed to be everyone’s first
taste of freedom and it’s where we’re
supposed to make mistakes and learn from
them. The school might have just gone
too far with this one. I remember when I
started school here and the environment
felt so welcoming, and now it’s “I can’t be
here for ten minutes without seeing a police
officer ride past” It’s intimidating! I’m not
saying that it’s right to smoke weed, but
there has to be a common factor as to why
so many students turn to the drug. I feel that
instead of trying to figure out the causes,
the administration is being too one-sided.
Wesleyan students should at least be given
a warning for first-time offenses. College
is our last chance to live as young adults
before branching out into the “real world”
College Must Get Handle
On ‘Left-Door’ Syndrome
The Decree interviewed Dr. Andrew Stem,
assistant professor of religious studies, after he
diagnosed a common, but solvable problem
on campus. He calls it “left-door” syndrome.
Decree Faculty Advisor: Our staff
writers have witnessed you muttering to
yourself as you enter and leave the Braswell
classroom complex. What’s up with that?
Dr. Stern: Well Bill, it could have been
any number of things. Perhaps someone
had taken my favorite parking spot, or I had
caught a student espousing heresy, or I was
just arguing with the voices in my head. Or
maybe I was concerned about something
more important. Much more important.
DFA: Oh, what’s that? Was it the
Braves letting you down once again?
Dr. Stem: No, it wasn’t the Braves’ latest
September collapse. A with my children, I’ve
grown accustomed to the Braves disappointing
me. I’ve got a different problem on my mind—
the failure of many members of the Wesleyan
community to follow one of the basic principles
of civilization and common decency: entering
and exiting a building through the right-hand
door. One might expect such deviance from
psychopaths, freshmen, or Pittsburgh Steelers
fans, but I’ve seen respectable people—the sort
of people who wear ties to work—doing it as
well, and that troubles me profoundly.
DFA: I'll just ignore the comment about
my Steelers. But I’ve noticed this tendency
as well, and you're right that it's widespread.
But I wonder if you haven’t gone a little
bonkers. In fact, I understand that you got
into an altercation with an honors student,
after she—let’s call her Reba—exited
Pearsall through the left door. Digging into
this story, dogged Decree reporters found
that Reba is left-handed. Isn't that a valid
argument for using the left door? In a way
and we should be able to live a little.
Ella Monroe
I don't think this is the right policy for
the college. When students first come
to college, they're basically screaming
“Freedom!” They're here to expand
their learning but also establish a lot of
responsibilities that they most likely
didn't have at home. So when I first
got here, I thought there was going to
be a lot of parties, meeting new people
and so on. What I did not expect were
students being treated like we’re still in
high school. We’re all grown, right? I
personally do not smoke and pretty
much everyone knows that it’s illegal.
But isn't it up to the individual to make
these decisions, to take that risk to
smoke weed? Also, it’s pretty harsh to
suspend a student for two semesters or
expel him. What about all that tuition
money? Pretty much wasted.
David Robinson
These days, the difference between right
and wrong is blurred, and the right of a
person to do harm to himself (and others)
seems to be almost inherent and self-evident
This observation is a puzzle to me, as I grew
up knowing it was wrong to harm anyone,
this reminds me about my grade school
years, when the nuns forbid students from
writing with their left hand. I’m sensing a
little Sister Agnes Therese in your attitude.
Dr. Stern: On the advice of my attorneys
I wish to state that I have no recollection of the
incident with this so-called Reba. Furthermore,
I affirm that I do not discriminate against, nor
do I condone discrimina
tion against, individuals
on the basis of hand-
preference. Having said
that, I would think that, as
an English professor, you
would know that the word
"sinister" is derived from
the Latin word meaning
"left" Just saying.
DFA: To continue to
play devil’s advocate: I also
saw a faculty member
leave Pearsall through the
left door (To protect her
privacy, I won’t name her
but her office is directly to
the left of yours and, like
Reba, she doesn’t usually
wear a tie). Do you—an
untenured assistant
professor of religious
studies—really think
you know more about
social norms than a full
professor of sociology?
Dr. Stem: I don't want
to get into which discipline
is the most ancient or lofty.
Nor do I want to engage in
ad hominem attacks against
my reckless and irresponsible colleagues.
I prefer to focus on the issues at hand. You
might ask: Why do I care which door people
use? The response is simple—safety. Granted,
"safety" is often an excuse for oppressive
governments to erode civil liberties. But there are
legitimate concerns in this case. Imagine some
one attempting to enter Braswell via the proper,
right-hand door. Suddenly, that door shoots out
towards him, propelled by someone on the inside
exiting, improperly, on the left-hand side. What's.
going to happen? Perhaps the person on the
outside of the door will merely be startled. But
it's also possible that he could be hit on the hand,
or perhaps even the head. Serious injury could
occur! So, all fm saying is, everyone should use
the proper doors, and those who forget and slip
up should be flogged and banished. That's all.
DFA: I see. I think you make a good point
Other than threatening a “flogging,” what can
we do to promote proper door etiquette?
Dr. Stern: It's all about education. In
general I think the value of education is
overrated, but in this case the first and most
important step toward changing people's
behavior is making them aware of the issue.
I'm certain that if we can make members of
the Wesleyan community realize that using
the wrong door threatens the safety of their
friends and colleagues—to say nothing of
the very fabric of civilization—they will
change their ways. I just hope it happens
before someone gets hurt, specifically me.
including myself. North Carolina Wesleyan
supposedly models itself on the Wesleyan
ethic from past centuries, and therefore the
strict adherence to rules denying illegal drag
use seems obviously right and acceptable.
The students here are mostly literate and
can absorb the code of honor, as written and
distributed. What about “NO” is so hard to
understand? The object of attendance here is
to prepare for a productive and responsible
adulthood, and part of that preparation is to
ready oneself to enter the work force. With
such a goal, what possible benefit could
drugs and abuse of other substances be? Col
lege is expensive, and maturity would dictate
a sober approach to it Amore innocent
approach to having fun, unmonitored, seems
reachable and laudable. In other words, do
right because it’s the right thing to do. Put the
campus police out of business!
Rebecca Staylor
I don’t agree with the policy our
school has made. Wesleyan administra
tors have made commendable efforts
to help the campus crack down on drug
use. However, their policy seems to be a
bit flawed; while I feel that our students
should be punished for marijuana posses
sion, a first-time offender should not be
suspended or expelled. The current policy
should be revised to help the student who
is in violation to better himself, rather
than sending him away, which may make
him feel alone and unable to find help for
his problems. The college should adopt
a “three-strike” rule to help the student
rather than abandon him. The three-
strike rule would require that first- and
second-time offenders perform an ample
amount of community service and attend
Narcotics Anonymous classes. Under this
policy, expulsion would only occur after
the third offense. This would allow stu-
PHONES^
word “five.” ‘I will do so for each offense.”
Dr. Sanborn enforces the same policy.
“Each use of the cell phone equals a five-point
deduction,” echoed the psychology professor.
Many math and science professors
allow their students to use their phones as
calculators. Using cell phones during a test is a
different story. Dr. Bill Yankosky described his
punishment “I take the cell phone and test and
they get a zero,” the mathematics professor
said, noting that thisis anew policy for him
because of past problems with cheating.
Most Wesleyan students understand
the policies towards cell phones in class,
whether they follow the rules or not
“They’re understandable, I suppose, based
on how far students have gone in the past,”
Crickmore said. A more laid-back view was
expressed by Whitten. “I really don’t mind.”
Not all students fully accept the
no-cell-phone policy. Shayne DeWitt said
she understands that the policies are to keep
students focused in class. “But I feel there’s
limits to it,” the freshman stated. Jerome
Little also expressed some reservations about
the policy. “It’s a mixed thing because some
might use it to take pictures of notes,” the
entertainment major said.
While some students adhere to the no-
cell-phone policy, others do not One of the
most common in-class uses of cell phones is
to check the time. Little commented that he
never uses his phone in class. After thinking
twice, he corrected himself. ‘Technically
yes, to tell time,” the junior said. Crickmore
G. Wallace photos
also denied using her phone during class,
especially during lectures. After a pausing
a moment, she admitted, “I use it to keep
time.” Dr. Yankosky also confessed to using
his phone to check the time. ‘There are no
clocks in the rooms,” he said. Many other
professors also use their phones for this
dents to make mistakes—something that
we all do— but still suffer consequences.
It would still limit the number of times a
student will be “forgiven” for his actions,
thus teaching him accountability and
responsibility. While I do appreciate the
college’s efforts to reduce the negative
influences within our campus, revisions
can be made to make the policy more
flexible. Overall, though, the policy is the
policy and as young adults we must abide
by it, whether we agree with it or not.
Michael Taylor
I think enforcing a tough policy for
students using marijuana is understandable
because it’s an illegal substance. Also, using
marijuana may adversely affect a student’s
academic performance and social life.
However, I think the policy is a little harsh.
Punishment should be more lenient for a first-
time offender who only has a small amount
of marijuana or is only suspected as having
used it Instead of jumping at the chance to
punish a student, it’s more beneficial to find
out why the student is using marijuana in the
first place. Suspension and expulsion should
only be applied to the most extreme cases.
Probation, counseling, and treatment would
be better for the student Students depend
on the school’s faculty and administration to
provide guidance when they make mistakes.
A one-size-fits-all style of punishment is as
bad for the school’s image as is drug use.
KeCharna White
NCWC has always been strict about the
no-drugs policy. Whether or not the admin
istration is stricter than it used to be, there
have always been consequences if you’re
caught with drags and alcohol on campus.
Dean Naylor and other administrators
have been enforcing the college rules and,
in general, haven’t given students second
or third chances. In my opinion, first-time
offenders should be offered another chance.
purpose.
Other students, many requesting anonymity,
acknowledged that they use their phone
for entertainment reasons. One freshman
revealed that she uses her phone to email and
text to “make plans outside of class.” A junior
admitted that he texts or calls his family
“when needed for an emergency.” He further
stated that sometimes he plays games on his
phone. “The other day I played the hell out of
them games in class,” he continued.
Another junior also admitted to texting during
class. When asked whom he was texting, he
replied, “anybody.” In one recent in-class text
exchange, a student revealed, he was responding
to his fiance, who wanted him to “pick
something up at the store.” Asked to explain the
reason for texting during class, many students
denied that it was done out of boredom. “Well, it
depends on the class,” admitted one junior.
“No cell phone” policies mean that
students must conceal their usage in some
way. Their methods are as varied as their
reasons for using their cell phones in the
first place. Many female students keep
their phones in their purse, while others
keep them in their book bags. “I check like
I’m finding a pencil,” a freshman said.
Another popular method is to keep the
phone in a pants pocket and take a peek at
it to check the time or texts. Other students
conceal it any way they can. One junior
stated he would act “like I’m doing work.”
He hides it in his lap, notebook, hoodie, or
hat. Another junior said he doesn’t bother
concealing it. “I just don’t,” he said.
Dr. Sanborn addressed concealment
of cell phone usage from a professor’s
viewpoint “I sometimes
find it oddly amusing that
students think they can ‘hide’
their phones from me when
I’m standing right in front of
them,” he said.
Although professors find cell
phones distracting, it doesn’t
bother most students unless
there’s sound involved. Crick-
more noted that she finds a cell
phone distracting ‘ ‘only when
it makes noise.” Scott doesn’t
notice classmales using cell
phones. “Because I sit up front,”
he stated. Whitten summed
up students’ awareness of cell
phones. ‘Tm immune to it now,” he stated.
Regardless of students’ views on cell
phones, one thing is clear: No-cell-phone
policies have curbed usage during class
time. “I have almost no problem now,
but I used to have a lot of problems,”
mathematics professor Gail Stafford said.