B Y ALEX VAUGHN
We should have known that there would be a reckoning. We should have known that a time would come when our behavior would be called into question and we would have to defend ourselves. That time is now.
And I believe we are ready to have an honest discussion about drug and alcohol use, one that emphasizes respect and personal responsibility but also directly confronts the concerns of the student body and our administration. And it is only through such a discussion that we will proceed to a solution that satisfies the desires of both parties.
I walked down to the rope swing this afternoon to drink a beer in the sun. I wanted to feel what it would be like to know that police could walk right up behind me. I wanted to see if I was afraid. And I am. I have a general fear of police. Given the size of the population they must patrol they are as personally removed from me as I am from them, and I do not like anonymous authority figures. There are things that I do that are illegal but I do them responsibly and have no wish to be interfered with. Nor do I think I should be punished for safe and responsible, though illegal, behavior. And I don’t think I’m the only one.
President Fonteyn recently brought drugs and alcohol to our attention in his letter to students on March 30th. He reminded us of his intention to address the issue and revealed his plan to do so. The President wrote that Vermont State Police will be “monitor[ing] the GMC campus more closely” and “occasionally sending units to patrol the Poultney River,” that State Liquor Control officers will “at times” patrol the grounds and residence halls, and that both VSP and Liquor Control may be present at campus events “where increased use of alcohol and marijuana is likely.” These are vague statements that warrant questioning.
Unfortunately, President Fonteyn could not be more specific. When asked how often the police would be on campus, he replied: “I don’t know.” Apparently it wasn’t discussed at his meeting with VSP and Liquor Patrol. When asked “what does the word occasionally mean?” Fonteyn replied, “infrequently, very infrequently they will come through here.” It appears as though that Steve Brown will be in charge of coordinating the effort with state police. “I would anticipate,” said Mr. Fonteyn, “probably if he felt that it was a good time for the VSP to have a visit, he’d probably say ‘let’s have a visit today’.” Meaning if Mr. Brown sees flocks of students making their way to the river on Friday night, he might be inclined to call the police.
Despite the open-ended language, President Fonteyn was able to assure me that the police would follow regular school protocol during any patrol of campus. This means that a member of the Campus Security staff or Residence Life staff will likely accompany police officers particularly when they are in the dorms. The President did admit, however, that the police can pretty much “do what they want.” Thus, Vermont State Police and Liquor Control will have the authority to issue citations and arrest students. The state of Vermont fines first time offending minors $300 for possession or consumption of alcohol and a 90-day suspension of their driver’s license. And according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, first time possession of less than 2 ounces of weed is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine. So let’s say you’re 20 and get caught at the rope swing with a Colt 45 and a blunt. You’re looking at a potential $800 fine, loss of your license, maybe 6 months in jail and a maximum fine of $275 from Green Mountain for a first time drug and alcohol violation.
That makes it mighty risky to spend a pleasant afternoon at the river, and that’s exactly the kind of risk President Fonteyn hopes we won’t take. Increasing police presence on campus is all about increasing the risk students take to use drugs and alcohol. The President is counting on students to think twice about the consequences of a Saturday night. Fonteyn believes that students are “OK with VSP being on [campus] when they have a real crisis but they really want to be able to have kind of a safe haven and you can do what you’d like to do whenever you would like to do it, and have no risk associated with risky behavior. That’s what everybody’s really saying.”
But of course there is already a risk: the chance of being written up by CSO or your RA. We know that CSO can come to the river, and they have. And we know that CSO can come into your dorm room, which they do. I think students are comfortable with that risk and are generally able to respect the boundaries of behavior. What students are not comfortable with is the risk of arrest or citation from the state police. When I mentioned that to Mr. Fonteyn he asked, “Why are they active in activity that could be that serious?”
That brings me to the question of what constitutes “serious activity.” There are many students who choose to drink beer and smoke marijuana at Green Mountain. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of those students choose to do so safely and responsibly. Is it so dangerous to drink a couple beers and get high on a Sunday afternoon? No, but that isn’t the President’s main concern. Though the language of his letter suggests that alcohol and marijuana will be the focus of police activity, the real business is making it more difficult for students to obtain and use prescription medication like Xanax, Oxycontin, Adderall, Ritalin and the like.
“Those are the major things that I’m worried about,” Mr. Fonteyn told me, “the pills and hard drugs.” It seems that the President has received communication from students identifying prescription medications as a major culprit in campus troublemaking. While it may be his intention to crack down on Xanax and Adderall, I doubt the police will be so discerning. VSP and Liquor Patrol will be obliged to act on any and all violations and those safe and responsible students will be swept up in the collateral damage.
One thing is for certain: we must do something. “I have an obligation to look after everybody’s health and welfare,” Mr. Fonteyn said, “That’s my job. And I have proof that these activities are going on. I can’t just turn a blind eye to this.” No, of course he cannot. But neither can students allow the President to act alone on this issue. We have a responsibility to address alcohol and drug use atGreen Mountain in an honest and open dialogue.
Unilateral action from the President’s office will not rid the school of underage drinking or pharmaceuticals and clever Supertroopers flyers (pretty funny by the way) are not a real response from the student body. To move forward, to truly create a working community at Green Mountain, all members of the campus community must act together. Nothing good is going to happen until we talk about it. This is just the beginning.
Meanwhile, with any luck we’ll have some sun this weekend. I’ll be at the river…relaxing.
