Cannabis College

[IndianaToker]

By Steve Echeverria Jr.
Source: Herald-Tribune

Florida -- Dude, New College of Florida ranks No. 7 on High Times magazine's list of the nation's most pot-friendly schools in the magazine's October 2005 issue. The news comes as a bummer to some students and administrators who say the marijuana magazine's ranking and the accompanying infamy reinforces the stereotype of New College students as spaced-out hippies walking around barefoot.

It also clouds the school's academic accomplishments, they say.

High Times editor Steve Bloom said the magazine looked favorably on New College's top-quality academic programs, vibrant student life and easy availability of on-campus herb.

"The schools appearing on the list are not as strict as other places ... students aren't worried that they will be constantly shaken down," Bloom said in a telephone interview.

"They can get away with smoking a joint on campus without worrying about someone snitching them out to campus officials or sending in campus authorities or the police," he added.

And that's the image that administrators want to stub out.

New College President Gordon E. Michalson Jr. said he hadn't heard about the High Times article.

"The ranking, frankly, leaves me feeling a little queasy," he said.

"I realize we have a reputation for a certain kind of student life ... but anybody who spends a few minutes on campus appreciates the lively engagement of our student body," he said.

New College received high marks this year from more-legitimate academic lists produced by U.S. News & World Report, the Princeton Review and the 2006 Fiske Guide to Colleges.

But how can you ignore that New College has appeared every year on the list since High Times editors started the ranking in 2002? And it has dropped from No. 2 that first year to No. 7 this year. (They were maybe one toke under the line.)

The community should be proud that New College is cool with those who appreciate ganja, said Bloom. But the school's ranking is still a bit of a question mark to him.

"How we know all that about New College, I'm not 100 percent sure," he said.

Short-term memory loss, perhaps?

Bloom said editor David Bienenstock spoke with students from across the country to compile the list, which includes campuses near such counterculture landmarks as California's Humboldt State, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

New College wasn't the only Florida school on the list. The University of Florida ranked higher (No. 3) on the Top 10 cannabis colleges.

The Sunshine State's affinity to the green leaf was a factor in having two Florida schools on the list, Bloom said. Along with being home to Miami's Bob Marley Festival, there are more student chapters in Florida of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws than in any other state. New College has a NORML chapter, according to the organization's Web site. Members did not respond to e-mails.

"Florida has a great marijuana-activist spirit on campus," Bloom said.

School administrators, students and some in the community know that image all too well and find it to be a drag.

"It's not a very accurate depiction of New College from an academic standpoint," university provost Charlene Callahan said. "It's not like our students are working hard to be stoners."

Despite New College's bumper crop of praise in a number of higher-education publications, the High Times ranking clouds those achievements, said Callahan, who began teaching at the school in 1975.

"New College isn't known as a 'party school' and doesn't attract students looking to party," she said, pointing to the fact that many of the school's students go on to get their master's and doctorate degrees.

But she acknowledges it's hard to put a lid on the school's "hippie" image.

"I suppose when you look at New College, I'm sure that what you see is not the typical student; they are a throwback to the 1970s," she said. "It's about perception."

Founded in 1960, New College enrolled more than 700 students this year. According to the school's Web site, 84 percent of enrolled freshmen who took the SAT scored above 1200.

Administrators weren't the only ones thinking the pot placement was a downer.

"They've got people who smoke marijuana at every college, but it's not good for your school to be remembered as a pot school," said Marco Graham, a 19-year-old first-year New College student.

Not everyone affiliated with New College is tripping. The rankings also have sparked excitement and amusement from other alumni and students.

Everyone should chill, said Rick Doblin, who graduated from New College in 1987 and who received master's and doctoral degrees in public policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in 2001.

"I can see where the administration is sensitive," he said. "The people who attend New College are high achievers who find value in looking at the world from different perspectives."

Doblin is the founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a Sarasota-based nonprofit group supporting psychedelic and medical marijuana research.

Far out.

Fourth-year student Sam Davidson, 21, was more blunt.

"There's an image out there that we're drugged-out hippies, and we're not," he said. "While people do smoke here, they do the same thing at other schools ... we just don't lie to ourselves."

So go stuff that in your pipe.

Four years ago, when New College made No. 2 on the High Times ranking, several students posted the High Times article in the cafeteria and other buildings, Davidson said.

"It really got around," he said.

Not so much this year. Still, there are folks who don't want students' heads in the clouds and are critical of the school's chronic reputation.

Davidson said he hopes the High Times rankings don't plant seeds of discontent from local law enforcement, administrators and the community.

"I don't want people reading this list and cracking down, because the rankings are meaningless and the schools in the survey are interchangeable," he said.

The list isn't meant to bring the heat but the pride, Bloom said.

"It's controversial because schools like to keep their privacy," he said. "We don't want to blow covers or make a campus hot for students going there."

A big reason New College freshman Jessica Burgan said she attends the school is because of the tolerant atmosphere.

"The cops are more forgiving and more flexible than at other schools," said Burgan, 18.

One person was arrested on felony marijuana charges in February 2003, New College police said. It has been the only drug arrest since New College debuted on the High Times list.

Interim campus police chief Wesley Walker has worked at the college for 15 years and said New College is no different from other schools when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Just smaller.

"The school has the reputation of being somewhat bohemian, but if a crime is committed on campus, we are going to take action," he said.

School officials put a lot of weight in drug and alcohol awareness programs, Michalson said.

"We don't have a draconian law-enforcement environment; we don't go pounding down doors," he said.

"It's one where we make students aware of the choices they make, and we emphasize that anything illegal leads to student arrest," Michalson said.

But all this talk about image and perception leads to an important question: Why did New College slide in the rankings?

"I think part of that drop is due to the school's administration," alumnus Doblin said. "Perhaps in other places, there's a little more sympathy for students' choices, and because New College is the honors college of the state of Florida, there's a greater sensitivity to public morals."

Still, the rankings left some students amused.

Transfer student Brian Rottingen said he "grew up with a joint in my mouth," and that he partakes occasionally.

The third-year student was bemused while reading the article in the student cafeteria, then offered a simple assessment: New College shatters the myth of the absent-minded, unmotivated stoner.

"You really have to be on top of your academic game if you are smoking fatties until the break of dawn and making it into Ivy League schools," he said.

Note: High Times ranks New College as a pot-friendly campus. Defenders say the list is just blowing smoke.

"By far the smallest school to make our list, New College allows students to create their own classes. Make up your own course in psychedelia. ...

The campus ... covered in towering palms and lush banyan trees, enjoys beautiful, tropical sunsets nightly." -- High Times, October 2005

Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)
Author: Steve Echeverria Jr.
Published: September 1, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Contact: editor.letters@herald-trib.com
Website: http://www.heraldtribune.com/
Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21080.shtml

[RuffRat]

thats cool, i read in The Weed World magazine in amsterdamn there is a cannabis college place where you can go learn all about cannabis

[Impact_Sexlord]

thats real sick. i havent heard of new college before.

[UCF-Toker]

Damnit where's UCF!?!?

[honda420]

I live in Fort Lauderdale, I attended a college fair last year and saw New College there. Lemme tell ya, those guys ARE spaced out hippies lol. The requirements to get in are insane though. You gotta be one smart dopehead to go there.

[IndianaToker]

By Chris Durant, The Times-Standard
Source: Times-Standard


USA -- The latest issue of High Times hit the newsstands Tuesday with its list of the “Top 10 cannabis colleges” and Humboldt State University was one of them. The inclusion of HSU, given the reputation the county has, wasn’t a surprise, but the ranking of number eight was to some HSU students. ”Wisconsin? Come on, seriously?” doubted Kendra Ross. But Ross was satisfied with one part of the list. ”Hey, we beat my sister’s school (Wesleyan University) this year,” Ross said.

One student is determined to get a higher ranking in the future.

”We’re taking No. 1 next year,” said Tyler Pearson.

Not all of the students embraced the ranking.

”I’m not surprised, but I don’t want to perpetuate the marijuana stereotype,” said Donavan Clark.

Clark and Nicole Hunt said they’re tired of people insinuating they go to HSU because of the marijuana reputation.

”It gets so annoying,” Hunt said.

Every other school listed has a paragraph explaining why it was on the list, but Humbodlt State only has one short sentence.

”Dude, it’s in (expletive) Humboldt,” the magazine states.

HSU was the only California school and the University of Oregon in Eugene was the only other West Coast school.

The complete list is:

* 10) University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.

* 9) Wesleyan University, Middeltown, Conn.

* 8) Humboldt State University, Arcata.

* 7) New College of Florida, Sarasota, Fla.

* 6) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

* 5) Hampshire College, South Amherst, Mass.

* 4) University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.

* 3) University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

* 2) University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

* 1) University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

Complete Title: High Times Lists HSU as One of the Top 10 Stoner Colleges

Source: Times-Standard (CA)
Author: Chris Durant, The Times-Standard
Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Copyright: 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact: editor@times-standard.com
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Link to article: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21054.shtml

[IndianaToker]

By Vincent Gesuele, State Hornet
Source: State Hornet

California -- Humboldt County is known for one thing: marijuana. The county, located in the northern tip of California, is referred to as the marijuana capitol of North America, and has been mentioned in countless rap songs. It is home to the best hemp this side of Amsterdam, and with it comes an unparalleled reputation. Humboldt State University, located in the city of Arcata, is well known for its reputation as a “stoner” college.

A recent issue of High Times magazine named Humboldt State number 8 in its list of the “Top 10 cannabis colleges.”

The county has been dealing with marijuana problems for years, and consequently the school’s image suffers because of it.

Some students at Humboldt State feel the school’s marijuana reputation is exaggerated by people outside the area.

Esmeralda Santana, a senior psychology major at Humboldt State, said the school’s reputation is larger outside the area than it is on campus. Santana says students are aware of marijuana and its prominence in Humboldt, but aren’t so concerned with it.

“It’s known to be more common here, but it’s the same on all college campuses,” Santana said. Nicole Alvarado, Humboldt State’s Associated Students President, feels the recent High Times article exploits the school’s negative image on a large scale. “We do not have any more of a marijuana problem than any other university does,” said Alvarado.

Billie Waltz, an undeclared sophomore at Humboldt State said he agrees with Alvarado. “If you look for it, you’ll find it, but no more than you would anywhere else,” Waltz said.

Roberto Quintana, associate professor of exercise physiology at Sacramento State, is a Humboldt State alum.

Quintana said recreational activity and parties at Humboldt State are similar to what happens at Sac State and other universities. “The big difference between Humboldt State and Sac State is the centralized campus and liberal community of Humboldt compared to the commuter campus at Sac State,” Quintana said.

Humboldt’s reputation for marijuana is based on the area’s history as a liberal, agricultural community. The environment gives prospective marijuana growers a perfect location to plant their crops.

Alvarado said the community is liberal and more open to talk about marijuana, which may lead to people to make assumptions. “It is talked about more in the public eye, which makes it more of an issue,” Alvarado said.

Former Arcata resident James Long said he left the county after six years because of the lack of job opportunities. He said that marijuana was prevalent when he lived there.

“I was invited to smoke weed more times up there than when I grew up in Los Angeles,” Long said. He says the amount of marijuana available is directly related to the environment and the agriculture.

Waltz said the environment is suited for growing marijuana.

Despite an ideal environment for harvesting marijuana, significant amounts are rarely seized from Humboldt County.

According to the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting’s Web site, Humboldt County ranked 10th among California counties with 15,809 plants seized in 2004. Riverside led the list with 97,104 plants seized.

CAMP works in conjunction with local Sheriff’s departments to eradicate marijuana plants from all over the state. This year, the group has broken all previous records for seizures including taking over 20,400 plants from Humboldt County in early August.

The university occasionally attracts new students based on the regions reputation for marijuana production. The CAMP numbers indicate that production is not as large as originally predicted. Thomas Dewey, interim police chief for Humboldt State said in an e-mail that students who come to Humboldt because of the county’s reputation would face stiff penalties for marijuana violations. “We give no breaks to anyone selling or furnishing marijuana on campus,” he said.

Students caught will face both administrative charges from the university as well as criminal charges.

Police at Humboldt State make an average of 100 citations or arrests each year for marijuana violations. Dewey said these arrests include both students and non-students who are arrested during campus events such as concerts.

Medical marijuana patients pose a dilemma for university police since state law conflicts with federal law. State law allows card carrying medical marijuana patients to possess the substance, while federal law prohibits it.

Humboldt State police enforce the school policy on drugs on campus, which means even medical marijuana patients can be arrested for possession of the substance. Off campus, the officers enforce the California Highway Patrol policy which favors the possible release of card carrying medical marijuana patients.

Dewey says marijuana remains a controlled substance as defined by federal law, therefore the university will prohibit the drug on the federally funded campus.

“The bottom line is that medical marijuana patients must keep their marijuana off campus,” Dewey said.

In spite of its reputation, Humboldt State provides strong academic programs. Humboldt State is the smallest school in the CSU system with just over 7,500 students enrolled. The university offers 23 student run organizations, the most of any CSU campus. The small enrollment allows for small class sizes as well as better communication between students and faculty.

Alvarado said the county’s image has taken attention away from Humboldt State’s academic programs. She said the school has a very strong biological sciences program as well as the only Native American studies program in the entire CSU system.

Waltz said that academics are not downplayed and that students that go to the school get a quality education. “Some students come here under the assumption that we’re a party school, but they leave with a good education,” she said.

“It is important for people outside of Humboldt to realize that we breed social conscious individuals who are more apt to be leaders,” Alvarado said. She said she hopes that people will look at Humboldt for its educational value rather than its marijuana image.

Note: Northern California county is called 'marijuana capital of North America'.

Source: State Hornet, The (CA Edu)
Author: Vincent Gesuele, State Hornet
Published: September 07, 2005
Copyright: 2005 State Hornet
Contact: hornetop@csus.edu
Website: http://www.statehornet.com/
Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21091.shtml