Campus Safety has already received more than 10 calls to investigate suspicious drug activity in the dorms since the spring semester began a little less than two months ago.
Campus Safety has been called to Ornelas Residential Complex, Potter Hall, West Hall and the Ornelas Health and Physical Education Center, but no arrests have been made.
“There’s reports but as far as finding anything tangible, we haven’t found anything this semester,” Chief Randy Melton, director of Campus Safety, said.
Still, the numerous reports of suspicious activity to Campus Safety do raise concern about students and student welfare.
“Sometimes we get reports of marijuana and [students] come to the dorms smelling of marijuana,” Melton said.
While smoking marijuana off campus is not something students can be turned into Student Affairs for, it still raises concerns when students smell smoke throughout the dorms.
“Typically, if we get a call, it’s just on suspicion,” Melton said.
“It could be a combination of people who go off campus or are just around it.”
Field tests for marijuana-like substances have been inconclusive, and tangible evidence, in most cases, isneeded to pursue charges for possession of drugs.
“Just because we get somebody alleged to have done something, sometimes it’s not marijuana. Once we investigate, we may close it out,” Melton said.
However, if the suspicion of drugs is substantial enough, students can be suspended or punished without physical evidence.
“It’s one of those things that we kind of bring them in and we say ‘look you need to stop’ and if we find anything like paraphernalia then we can give them something like community service or something,” Angela Nunez, the director of Residential Life, said.
“But if it is a sizeable amount, then they will be removed almost immediately.”
Chief Melton explained more specifically a “sizeable amount” is considered any “useable amount” in regards to Campus Safety pursuing criminal charges against a student.
“If I find two or three seeds or whatever, that’s not enough to make a criminal case,”
