The WSU Board of Regents passed a temporary rule Monday to allow police, fire and emergency crews unrestricted access to residence halls. The change to a Washington Administrative Code came on the heels of a May decision by Whitman County Superior Court Judge David Frazier that barred police patrols in WSU dorms. That ruling was based on the university's definition of "guests" to residence halls, which the regents changed at an emergency phone meeting at 9:30 a.m. Monday. [continues 706 words]
More and more in WSU studetns are bringing their habits from home. Authorities at WSU worry students' attitudes toward drugs have led to increased usage. "We are only getting the tip of the iceberg," said Lt. Scott West of the WSU Police Department. "We take five to 10 reports of odors a week from people in residence halls, he said. Normally we develop two to three cases that end up in an arrest." West said marijuana appears to be the drug of choice on campus, although many students also seem to abuse prescription medications. West said he has seen everything from mushrooms to LSD although the number of people found to use more elicit drugs pales in comparison to the people using marijuana. West compared marijuana to beer and said in the party scene, the two have started to have equal usage by students. [continues 577 words]
