Campus Police and residence life staff at Bowman House confiscated an undisclosed amount of marijuana from multiple residents in the freshman residence hall Dec. 12, 2011. Nine first-year students were found to have used marijuana during the fall semester, according to Andrew Parker, dean for student conduct and community standards at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Parker said his office had received multiple reports that a small number of students were using narcotics in Bowman. He added that the individuals were to be told of the allegations against them, per university policy, and given a chance to respond before being questioned by hall staff and Campus Police to determine the legitimacy of the claims.
“Initially, that’s kind of where our focus was: Let’s talk to these students, see if the allegations are true,” Parker said. “It kind of just unfolded at the last minute in becoming such a larger group because I think, initially, it was three or four guys that were identified. Shortly before the interviews actually happened that evening, more names surfaced.”
After being questioned, two of the nine voluntarily offered to disclose the location of the drugs and paraphernalia, according to Jason Ewer. He is the officer who responded to an incident Dec. 12 involving “drug possession” in Bowman, according to the Campus Police crime log.
“The subjects that had possession were written citations,” Ewer said. “The subjects that admitted to [use only] were dealt in-house.”
Indiana state law classifies possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor. Ewer said both students who handed over marijuana fell into this category.
Parker said federal law prevented him from releasing the names or disciplinary actions taken by the school in response to the drug bust. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act forbids universities to publicly release certain student records, including disciplinary actions taken by the school.
Bowman House Resident Director Jared Begg declined to comment on the event, as did several members of the residence hall’s staff.
Bowman resident Jeremy Tyler (fr) said he was in his third-floor room the night the marijuana was confiscated. He said Campus Police and Bowman staff began taking residents out of their rooms after the midnight curfew, taking more and more people as the night went on, including a pair who was playing video games with Tyler.
“I was playing ‘Madden,’ and two of the guys got taken out of the room by the cops and the RA,” Tyler said. “Then they were taken into the showroom on the first floor, and that’s where they held all the guys, and then they took them from the showroom into the RD’s office and they questioned them individually with the cops.”
Tyler also said the incident and the events leading up to it were well-known by Bowman residents.
“Everyone knew pretty much what was going on,” he said.
Although Parker could not disclose the exact punishments handed down as a result of the bust, he initially said the situation would be handled internally, so the students involved would not face criminal charges.
“Institutions, from time to time, when they’re working with police departments, if the amount of marijuana that’s found is less than a certain percentage or certain weight, sometimes they’ll let the university handle it through their conduct process,” Parker said. “None of the marijuana that was turned over or confiscated exceeded the amount that Grant County felt uncomfortable with not letting the university handle.”
Parker said later in an email that two of the students involved received citations for minor possession of marijuana after fully cooperating with school and law officials, noting a “huge amount of trust” between IWU’s Campus Police and the sheriff’s department.
“The two that were caught with marijuana have to go to court,” Ewer said. “The ones that admitted to smoking it – there’s nothing other than they admitted it, and I know they got disciplined by the school.”
Ewer did say, however, that small amounts of marijuana can be handled by each individual officer on a case-by-case basis.
“They don’t have to arrest, but that’s up to the officer’s discretion,” Ewer said. “There is no policy, per se. Officers talk with the subject and their demeanor basically kind of depends on whether they go to jail or they get a ticket and have to show up in court.”
When it comes to university-issued punishments, Parker said he hopes the decisions handed down end up having a positive impact.
“We’re an educational institution, and our goal is not to just punish students. We want to see them grow and learn through this process,” Parker said. “So our hope is that the sanctions we hand out from our office are educational and they’re things that students can learn from, and the decisions they make in the future will be more reflective of who God is calling them to be and who they want to be.”
The Freedom of Information Act requires public officials to make available the name, age and address of anyone arrested or summoned for an offense. The Sojourn filed a written FOIA request with Campus Police Jan. 24, to obtain more detailed records regarding the Dec. 12 incident in Bowman House.
Marijuana laws in other states:
Kentucky
In Kentucky, possession of more than eight ounces of marijuana constitutes a felony offense. First-time possession offenses involving less than eight ounces typically do not involve arrest or imprisonment anymore. Felony offenses carry fines of up to $10,000 per incident.
Ohio
Cultivating or possessing less than 100 grams of marijuana in Ohio is classified as a “minor misdemeanor,” punishable with a $150 fine, no jail time and no criminal record. Possession in the Buckeye State doesn’t become a felony until an individual collects more than 200 grams, an offense that carries up to 12 months in prison and a $2,500 fine. All sentencing for drug convictions must include a six-month to five-year suspension of one’s driver’s license.
Indiana
Indiana state law defines possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana as a Class A misdemeanor. First-time offenders can avoid criminal convictions by fulfilling the requirements of a probationary period established by the court. Marijuana possession is a Class D felony, though, if the suspect possesses more than 30 grams or has a previous marijuana conviction.
Illinois
Possessing less than 30 grams of marijuana in Illinois is a misdemeanor with the possibility of a 24-month probation in lieu of first-time convictions. Possession of 30-500 grams is a felony in the state, carrying 1-3 years of prison time and a fine of up to $25,000.
Michigan
Using marijuana in Michigan is a misdemeanor offense, carrying a 90-day prison sentence and $100 fine. Possessing any amount of marijuana is also a misdemeanor. All first-time misdemeanor possession offenses are eligible for conditional release via probation. Since December 2008, Michigan residents with written documentation from their doctors may use marijuana for certain medical conditions without facing state criminal penalties.
