Pubdate: Tue, 05 Jun 2007
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2007 The Dallas Morning News
Contact:  http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Jason Trahan, The Dallas Morning News
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DEAD STUDENT'S DAD ASKS SMU TO STEP UP DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION

Dean: School Offers Programs But Students Must Make Wise Choices

The father of a 21-year-old Southern Methodist  University coed who
was the third student to die from  excessive drug or alcohol use in
the last five months  said Monday that the school needs to more
aggressively  address substance abuse among students.

"Drugs are woven into the Greek system and the social  fabric of the
university," Joseph Bosch said at a news  conference at Dallas police
headquarters. "The  administration is either unwilling or has been
incapable of addressing this issue, and we urge the  administration of
the university to radically change  their approach to this problem."

University officials say they are working to stop drug  use on campus,
including appointing a task force on  substance abuse prevention. But
students must make wise  choices, officials said.

"We mourn with the Bosch family the tragic death of  Meaghan," Dee
Siscoe, SMU's dean of student life, said  Monday.

"Like colleges and universities across the nation, we  are concerned
about illegal drug use among some  students, habits sometimes
developed before they begin  college," she said. "For this reason, SMU
offers  numerous programs and services aimed at prevention,
education, assistance and enforcement."

"Essential to our efforts, however, is the commitment  by students, as
young adults, to abide by laws and  regulations and to make decisions
in their own best  interests."

The Texas Rangers announced Monday that Ms. Bosch died  from an
accidental overdose of cocaine, methamphetamine  and oxycodone, an
addictive pain pill and respiratory  depressant.

Ms. Bosch's family said they began noticing her drug  use around
February, which is when friends said she  began to withdraw from them.

She began to attend SMU in fall 2005, officials there  said, after
attending classes at Collin County  Community College and the
University of Arkansas. She  graduated from high school in McKinney.

Ms. Bosch was found dead May 14 at a construction site  in Hewitt near
Waco; her family reported her missing  three days earlier.

It's still unclear how she ended up there. Police  believe Ms. Bosch
was last with James McDaniel, 46, who  was paroled in 2001 after
serving 22 years for a Dallas  murder.

He is identified in police affidavits as a drug dealer  who targets
SMU students and supplied Ms. Bosch with  drugs. He denied he was a
drug dealer in an interview  last week and was vague when asked what
he knew about  her disappearance.

"These drug dealers go on and off campus at their  will," Mr. Bosch
said Monday. "I think the university  and law enforcement at the
university is aware, to some  degree, what goes on, on their campus.
. There is no  doubt in our hearts that this tragedy could have been
  and should have been avoided."

On Dec. 2, Jacob Stiles, a 20-year-old sophomore from  Naperville,
Ill., was found in his room at the Sigma  Alpha Epsilon fraternity
house on campus. He overdosed  on a mixture of cocaine, alcohol and
the synthetic  opiate fentanyl.

On May 2, SMU freshman Jordan Crist, 19, also from  Illinois, was
found unconscious in an SMU dorm room and  later died at a local
hospital. His death was ruled  alcohol poisoning.

SMU officials said university police and local law  enforcement
agencies investigate any possible  violations of alcohol and drug use
in their  jurisdictions, and SMU also enforces its student code  of
conduct and residence hall guidelines through its  judicial system.

"Those with drug policy violations are subject to  fines, suspension
and expulsion," said SMU spokeswoman  Patricia LaSalle. "Those who are
allowed to stay may be  subject to drug testing as a condition of
continuing as  a student at SMU."

Police affidavits say Ms. Bosch was spotted at Mr.  McDaniel's house
apparently high on drugs the day  before she was reported missing. The
next day, a  witness said he saw Ms. Bosch unconscious and barely
breathing on Mr. McDaniel's bed.

The day before her body was found near Waco, Mr.  McDaniel told the
witness to pretend not to know him if  questioned by police, the
affidavits say.

Although Mr. McDaniel currently faces no charges in Ms.  Bosch's
disappearance or death, he is being held while  state officials move
to revoke his parole after finding  guns in his home.

Mr. McDaniel has also been charged in a 2005 sexual  assault case in
Dallas. The victim in that case, which  is unrelated to the Bosch
inquiry, says Mr. McDaniel  drugged and raped her.

When police searched Mr. McDaniel's two Dallas homes  last month
looking for clues to Ms. Bosch's death, they  found videos of Mr.
McDaniel having sex with women.  Police are trying to identify the
women in the videos,  which Mr. McDaniel has told police chronicle
consensual  acts. Ms. Bosch is not in the videos.

The Bosch family and police are asking that anyone who  knows anything
about Meaghan's death contact the Texas  Rangers at 214-861-2360 or
Dallas police at  214-671-3584.
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