ESF students warned about drug violations
Cornelius Murphy, president of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, e-mailed students Friday about inappropriate behavior related to drugs and alcohol.
One ESF student was suspended Friday morning after the Syracuse Police Department filed drug charges, Murphy wrote in an e-mail obtained by The Daily Orange. Murphy declined to provide the student’s name, or give any other details as to what prompted the e-mail, in an interview Monday.
‘This incident, while the most severe, is not the first in report we have received indicating inappropriate and dangerous behavior by our students on and off campus,’ Murphy said in the e-mail.
Murphy sent a similar e-mail to students back in November 2007, after police confiscated seven ounces of marijuana, 10 grams of hallucinogens and a dose of LSD after a Halloween party. Two ESF students were suspended after the incident, The Daily Orange reported Nov. 5, 2007.
Tony Callisto, chief of Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety, said he has seen a growing trend of increased drug- and alcohol-related incidents that have alarmed both ESF and SU.
Murphy urged students to mind the communities they share with SU students and Syracuse residents. He said loud parties, drug and alcohol abuse, and disrespectful behavior threaten the relationships students have with those communities.
‘If there is a single individual that is negatively affected by either alcohol or drugs, it’s a concern to me,’ Murphy said Monday.
Murphy said ESF intends to take every action possible to prevent future incidents. He said there have been increased patrols in SU residence halls, the surrounding neighborhoods and Oakwood Cemetery. Police will be stricter when it comes to violations, he said.
‘This kind of thoughtless behavior must stop,’ Murphy wrote. ‘Plain and simple, it must stop.’
Lt. Scott Becksted, supervisor of police operations at ESF, declined to comment about the future role of his department.
‘Our university police will be as diligent on these issues as they have in the past,’ Murphy said by phone. ‘They’re going to do their best to make sure students are kept safe.’
Published on April 6, 2009 at 12:00 pm
