SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY INVADES STUDENTS’ PRIVACY, STUDENTS RESPOND WITH LUNCH TIME SIT-IN ON JANUARY 21

GEORGETOWN, TX, JANUARY 20, 2010: In response to increased drug possession enforcement over 50 upset SU students met and planned a lunch time sit-in protest for Thursday, January 21 on the Campus Mall at 1:00 PM CST, with attendance expected to be very high.

The events started when 6 or 7 SU students were rumored to be arrested on campus, while in their dorm rooms, for alleged drug possession. After the incident, the Dean of SU emailed the students emphasizing that the use of drugs is illegal, and that SU was going to address all cases promptly. This included him mentioning bringing drug-sniffing dogs on to the campus, a marked shift from previous campus policies. “Universities are supposed to prepare students for the future. Tell me how criminal charges and possible jail time do that.” was what Students for Sensible Drug Policy Board of Directors Secretary and University of Houston SSDP Founder Michael Blunk said when he heard about the incident.

In response, Amy Wolfenberger and other upset students organized a meeting the night of January 20 to formulate the student body’s official response. Over 50 students attended the meeting, including the Student Body President, who were all outraged at the blatant violation of their rights and trust with the University. They agreed to have a lunch time sit-in protest in the Campus Mall on Thursday to formally voice their opposition to the Administration’s actions. In addition to the planned sit-in, the Student Body President said he would arrange a meeting with the Administration and bring up the issue at the following Wednesday’s Student Government meeting.

According to the some students at the meeting, they saw police with drug-sniffing dogs entering multiple buildings on campus throughout the day. Students were arrested out of their dorm rooms on campus. According to some students, this was in response to an anonymous psychological survey sent to students last semester about their drug and alcohol usage showing SU had higher drug usage than other Texas schools.