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Published by Baltimore Student Media for the Towson University Community
December 7, 2009
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TU reports drop in
substance abuse
Drugs and alcohol incident rates
retreat from recent increases
TYLER WALDMAN
Associate Arts Editor
Incidents and referrals related
:o drug and alcohol abuse on the
rowson campus have seen a marked
decline, according to University offi-
:ials.
While alcohol and controlled
dangerous substance violations had
seen on the rise over the last several
^ears - nearly tripling from 2005 to
1008 - recent statistics are showing
some progress.
According to statistics provided
эу
the Towson University Police
Department, this year Towson
recorded 92 alcohol incidents and
15 drug incidents (mostly marijua¬
na) from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, compared
:o 100 and 29, respectively, from the
same period in 2008.
Of this fall's incidents, 51 stu¬
dents were charged with crimes, a
figure which represents a 32 percent
drop from the fall of 2008, according
:o Ryan Kane, associate director of
:he office of student conduct and
civility education, formerly known
as the office of judicial affairs. Kane
>aid he wasn’t sure what was behind
:he drop.
"There are so many possibilities,
from education to the economy to
enforcement to anything," he said.
‘It’s too soon to determine what
fou could point as the reason and
f there is one simple reason. There
nay be multiple reasons."
Kane’s office handles most refer¬
rals related to drug and alcohol vac¬
ations. Students who are referred
nay face penalties including fines,
academic sanctions, removal from
Jniversity housing or suspension
from the University, depending on
:he nature and frequency of the
affense. Kane said repeat offenders
are a relative rarity.
TUPD captain Joe Herring agreed
that it was hard to pinpoint an exact
cause for the drop, but credited a
"combined effort by the University
as a whole to provide a better edu¬
cation."
The department added a K9 unit
in fall 2008, and Herring speculated
that may have been behind the rise
seen last year, finding offenders
that otherwise might not have been
found.
“It may have contributed to the
increase because it was a new tool,
but now it’s a tool that everybody
recognizes that’s on campus," he
said.
Most students who were inter¬
viewed said they didn’t see much
of a problem on campus. Some said
the drug use that did happen was
not much of a problem.
"Obviously, it’s against the law.
But if someone wants to do it and
it’s not being stopped, you know,
it’s their prerogative if they want to
do it. So it’s ... they can do what¬
ever they want, basically," Carlyle
Smith, a freshman business major,
said.
Kiah Lloyd, a sophomore comput¬
er and information systems major,
lives in Tower B. She said alcohol is
a very minor part of a larger prob¬
lem she perceives in her building.
"I feel like the drinking is not so
much of a problem as the drugs,"
she said. "I’ve seen the Towson
police with the drug dog coming in
Tower
В
plenty of times. And we’ve
been in the stairwell once, and it
smelled like weed. We’ve been in
the elevator once - it smelled like
weed.”
Matt Sikorski, president of
University Residence Government,
said he had noticed fewer ambu-
See CDS, page 7
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First freeze over TU
Casey Prather/ The Towerlight
The first snow of the season hit Towson University on Saturday, December 5th. Students around
campus celebrated by sledding and budding snowmen. Visit TheTowerlight.com for more photos
of the winter festivities.
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