2008 Woodie Awards
editorial
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 2 next >
'Study drug' use on campus requires closer look
An unscientific Campus poll this week indicated that 22 percent of students have used Ritalin, Adderall or other study drugs without a prescription. With concerns about the ethics of such drug use cropping up in columns by Campus ethicist-in-residence Amanda Greene '09 and opinions columnist Doug Sisson '07.5, it is clear that it is time for the College to formally address the use of these so-called "study drugs" on campus. While some students are using these drugs recreationally, a great many rely on stimulants like Adderall to complete coursework.
Research done by the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that stimulant use is more prevalent at more competitive institutions - Middlebury being a prime candidate for such drug abuse. The Department of Public Safety, however, explained recently that drug offences on campus - as cited by their office - are limited exclusively to marijuana. Policing study drug use is, after all, all but impossible. The telltale smell of pot smoke leaking out from under a student's door is one thing. Public Safety officers are not patrolling the carrels of the New Library to root out frazzled students in the same way they roam the halls of dormitories, and with understandable reason.
The use of such drugs on campus is not only dangerous but also ethically ambiguous. Would banning the use of study drugs under the College's Honor Code put an end to their use on campus? Perhaps not. But clarifying the language of the Honor Code to forbid the use of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall without a prescription just might encourage students to self-police dangerous, dishonest behavior. Appealing to students' famed respect for that very Honor Code could prove more effective than any amount of drug enforcement by College administrators.
College must acknowledge reciprocity in town-gown relations
The recent announcement of the College's affiliation with the Town Hall Theater (THT) in downtown Middlebury signifies an important partnership between the town and the College that should, in years to come, only encourage the general goodwill perceived between the two bodies. The College's decision to invest so significantly in the THT is commendable and exciting. Engaging our neighbors in town through performances during the school year and summer language schools will only provoke lively cultural exchange, and students and faculty will benefit from the added space for theatrical and musical pursuits.
An unscientific Campus poll this week indicated that 22 percent of students have used Ritalin, Adderall or other study drugs without a prescription. With concerns about the ethics of such drug use cropping up in columns by Campus ethicist-in-residence Amanda Greene '09 and opinions columnist Doug Sisson '07.5, it is clear that it is time for the College to formally address the use of these so-called "study drugs" on campus. While some students are using these drugs recreationally, a great many rely on stimulants like Adderall to complete coursework.
Research done by the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that stimulant use is more prevalent at more competitive institutions - Middlebury being a prime candidate for such drug abuse. The Department of Public Safety, however, explained recently that drug offences on campus - as cited by their office - are limited exclusively to marijuana. Policing study drug use is, after all, all but impossible. The telltale smell of pot smoke leaking out from under a student's door is one thing. Public Safety officers are not patrolling the carrels of the New Library to root out frazzled students in the same way they roam the halls of dormitories, and with understandable reason.
The use of such drugs on campus is not only dangerous but also ethically ambiguous. Would banning the use of study drugs under the College's Honor Code put an end to their use on campus? Perhaps not. But clarifying the language of the Honor Code to forbid the use of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall without a prescription just might encourage students to self-police dangerous, dishonest behavior. Appealing to students' famed respect for that very Honor Code could prove more effective than any amount of drug enforcement by College administrators.
College must acknowledge reciprocity in town-gown relations
The recent announcement of the College's affiliation with the Town Hall Theater (THT) in downtown Middlebury signifies an important partnership between the town and the College that should, in years to come, only encourage the general goodwill perceived between the two bodies. The College's decision to invest so significantly in the THT is commendable and exciting. Engaging our neighbors in town through performances during the school year and summer language schools will only provoke lively cultural exchange, and students and faculty will benefit from the added space for theatrical and musical pursuits.
Be the first to comment on this story