Campus Insider: Emerson College warns students not to smoke marijuana

By Tracy Jan and Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Lest college students think otherwise, smoking, growing, and selling pot is still illegal on campuses.

It seems that the recent passage of Question 2, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, caused confusion (and perhaps raised hopes?) among some students at Emerson College.

Dean of Students Ron Ludman, saying "some individuals have inquired if [Question 2's] passage will impact college policy," felt compelled to send a campuswide e-mail to set the record straight. He reminded students of the school's code of conduct. Those found guilty are subject to a $75 fine, a letter home to parents, and suspension.

"Possession is still unlawful in Massachusetts and the College is still subject to the federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act," he wrote. "That law conditions the College's receipt of federal funds on its enforcement of standards of conduct that clearly prohibit unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs."

Lesson of the day: The law is the law.

That sinking feeling: Brandeis's dreams to replace its aging swimming pool have plummeted with the stock market.

The bleak economic forecast prompted the university to permanently shutter its only pool, used by student athletes as well as members of the community. The university has already poured more than $1 million into repairing the 41-year-old Linsey Pool, which has been plagued with repeated heating, drainage, and other problems.

But fix after fix hasn't done the trick. Immediate repairs would cost another $2 million, said Lorna Miles, a university spokeswoman. A full renovation would eat up another $10 million -- at least.

"In the current economic climate, it would not be responsible to continue to pour these dollars into the facility," Miles said.

The school's swim teams will be practicing at neighboring Regis, Wellesley, and Bentley colleges.

Love @ Harvard: Forget Match.com and eHarmony.
Harvard senior Emma Coleman hopes to help romance-starved students find their soul mates in under one hour on her new reality dating show, "Love @ Harvard." The show, produced by Harvard-Radcliffe Television, will debut this month on the campus station.

A bachelor or bachelorette will ask a panel of single students questions to narrow the field until one winner is left. They go on a date, presumably injecting romance into the college hookup culture.

"The goal of the show is to highlight how much fun Harvard students are," Coleman, executive producer of the show, told The Harvard Crimson. "We would love to promote dating on campus."

From boston.com: The week brought a flood of announcements from elite universities saying they would need to curb their budgets because of the economic downturn. On Monday, it was Harvard, followed by Colombia and Dartmouth in the next few days.

In an excerpt from a Q&A, Richard Doherty, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, assesses the coming impact on campuses:

Q. Do you forsee the economic crisis leading to sharp tuition increases next year? Will colleges boost or reduce their financial aid budgets in response?

A. No. I think most colleges are fully cognizant that the economy is hitting prospective students, current students and their families very hard. This academic year the independent colleges in Massachusetts raised their tuitions at the lowest rate of any state in the Northeast--below the rate of inflation.

Colleges will do their best to allocate as much money as possible to financial aid recognizing that their students are facing extreme economic pressures, but as we have seen in recent reports even well-to-do colleges and universities are under significant financial pressures themselves.

Q. What type of colleges will be the hardest hit by endowment losses, and how will it affect their operating budgets?

A. All colleges, public and private, will be adversely affected by endowment losses. However, those colleges and universities which generate a greater percentage of their operating revenues from endowment income will probably be more immediately impacted by endowment losses.
Not surprisingly these tend to be larger, more well-endowed institutions. Our smaller colleges tend to be more tuition dependent for their revenues so they will be more focused on retaining current students and attracting new students.

Q. Will rates of endowment spending increase because of losses, and will this placate Congressional criticism of wealthy colleges stockpiling endowments?

A. Over the years, the rate of endowment spending has remained relatively stable-- at around 5 percent of principle. I would anticipate that prudent practice to continue.
I do think that last year's relatively flat to negative endowment performance, and this year's significant losses to date, support the colleges' assertion that they are not just stockpiling endowment gains, but are protecting their institution and their students and academic programs from future downturns in the economy which we know from past experienced will occur again -- unfortunately we are experiencing one of those significant downturns now.

Correspondent John Guilfoil contributed to this report. To submit tips to Campus Insider, contact Peter Schworm at schworm@globe.com and Tracy Jan attjan@globe.com.

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