Pubdate: Fri, 15 Mar 2013
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Meredith C. Carroll
Note: Meredith C. Carroll of Aspen writes a weekly column.
Page: 23A

BE THE PARENT ON 4/20, CU

A couple of weeks ago, my year-old and 4-year-old daughters climbed 
onto the kitchen table from their chairs, despite knowing (or, more 
likely, because) it's a practice I don't endorse. Instead of scolding 
them, however, I ignored them. After they spent a few minutes 
giggling but also failing to get a rise out of me, they scooted back 
into their chairs to finish eating. They haven't done it again since.

It's a parenting lesson that University of Colorado Boulder officials 
could stand to learn: Negative attention often breeds negative 
behavior, while allowing kids to act out but ultimately find a way to 
settle down on their own can result in better, more reasoned choices.

Earlier this week, CU-Boulder officials announced plans to shut down 
the campus to "unauthorized non-affiliates" on April 20- a holiday 
for cannabis enthusiasts-for the second year in a row in an effort to 
put a stop to the 4/20 pot smokeout.

Of course, the passage of Amendment 64 in November decriminalized 
pot, although smoking it in public is still a no-no, and CU-Boulder 
policy prohibits it on campus either way.

"This isn't about marijuana or drug laws," CU-Boulder chancellor 
Philip DiStefano said in a statement. "It's about not interrupting 
the important work of a world-class university."

On a Saturday. At 4:20 in the afternoon. When so many students are 
traditionally hard at work.

In 2012, Newsweek ranked CU Boulder the No. 3 party school in the 
nation, which is certainly antithetic to the school's mission of 
"research, teaching and service." While a university spokesman told 
the Boulder Daily Camera they don't put much stock in the Newsweek 
list, they still must be painfully aware that their reputation deters 
some parents from allowing their kids to enroll as a direct result.

It's one thing, though, to let students know the 4/20 gathering is 
frowned upon and it's another entirely to try and suppress it to this 
extent. Last year, a Wyclef Jean concert was offered as a hip 
alternative to the 4/20 event on the grassy quad, which was sprinkled 
with fish fertilizer by campus officials determined to be comically 
obnoxious party poopers. As the Denver Post editorial board wrote 
last year, CU brings "much of the unwanted party school attention to 
itself via ham-handed efforts to quash a single event."

Why not let the students peacefully co-exist for a few hours (while 
temporarily ceasing campus tours for prospective students) and let 
police ticket any underage smokers as they would drinkers? Does the 
campus also shut down on New Year's Eve, Mardi Gras and homecoming to 
ensure underage drinkers aren't illegally imbibing? Why pick on pot 
smokers who are less likely to cause damage or wreak havoc than users 
of pretty much all other mind-altering substances?

Dr. Charles Fay of the Golden-based Love and Logic Institute suggests 
these methods to parents of conflicted kids:

1. Respond with empathy: "That's a tough one."

2. Send the power message: "Would you like to hear what some kids have tried?"

3. Offer ideas: "Some kids decide to ... ."

4. Ask about the expected results: "How do you think that would work for you?"

5. Give permission to solve the problem: "Let me know how it goes. Good luck."

College is allegedly a place to empower young adults in their 
intellectual pursuits and sagely guide them on their path to 
responsible adulthood, not treat them as if they stole a cookie from 
the cookie jar. Preschoolers are accustomed to having more maturity 
projected on them than CU-Boulder officials are projecting on those 
planning on attending an event centered around a now-legal substance. 
Perhaps a more parental approach might yield less 
elementary-school-like results.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom