Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
Vol. 142 Issue 13 - December 6, 2018
www.hillsdalecollegian.com
Carmel Kookogey | Collegian
College marijuana policy remains, despite state’s legalization By | Nicole Ault Editor-in-Chief Use of recreational marijuana becomes legal for adults over 21 years old in Michigan on Thursday, but at Hillsdale College, drug policy remains the same: Students and employees of the college may not use or possess marijuana. The college forbids marijuana because there is “strong evidence that it is bad for one and hurts one’s ability to think and work at a high level,” said Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn in an email. “The college was founded to ‘improve the hearts and develop the minds’ of the students. This refers to the moral and intellectual virtues, both of which are involved in this policy,” Arnn said. The college’s drug policy as found in the course catalogue forbids “use, possession, distribution, or being in the presence of any amount of a controlled substance (drugs and/or drug paraphernalia: water pipes, bongs, etc.)” for
students. The policy holds students accountable for both on- and off-campus behavior, said Dean of Men Aaron Petersen. This policy is in keeping with the college’s desire to cultivate students who are “healthy, strong human beings,” said Dean of Women Diane Philipp in a statement provided to The Collegian. For college employees, too, drug policy remains as written. The college’s employee handbook states that “the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited at the College.” Though the college does not have to rewrite its employee policy in light of the changes in Michigan law, the human resources department did send out a statement to faculty and staff in a newsletter on Monday to reaffirm the policy. The statement cited federal law — which still criminalizes
marijuana use — and health consequences as the reasons for banning marijuana for employees. But law is not the fundamental factor in the policy. “Federal law says it’s illegal,” said Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé. “But regardless of that, we would not want it on campus.” Péwé said marijuana would be “disruptive” to a good working environment and counter the college’s mission. He said marijuana use among employees at the college is “very rare,” and that he’s had to deal with it perhaps once in 20 years. “We expect a lot from each other,” he said, noting that all organizations make policies for conduct that reflect who the organization is. “As employees, you represent the college. We want to be good human beings. Marijuana changes people’s lives, and usually not in a good way.” Marijuana presents significant health concerns, said Director of Health Services
Teaching certification program makes job search easier for grads By | Jordyn Pair Associate Editor This time last year, aspiring teachers in the 2018 Hillsdale College graduating class would have had a difficult time finding work. But Teachers for Tomorrow has changed that. Sonja Bindus, head of early childhood education and director of the Mary Randall Preschool, is guiding students through the process of applying to and studying with Teachers for Tomorrow, a teacher certification program helping prospective teachers obtain their certification. Teachers for Tomorrow was approved in Michigan in August 2017. “This program expedites the certification process for teacher candidates and provides school districts with qualified teachers,” Bindus
said in an email. “After the teacher has been hired, Teachers for Tomorrow continues professional support and education for three years while the candidate is working in a classroom.” The program costs $5,500 and is offered online, Bindus said. It also requires a bachelor’s degree and a minimum GPA of 2.95. Teachers of Tomorrow operates in 11 states: Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, with temporary operation in Ohio, Virginia and California according to Bindus. Fourth-grade teacher Erin Wonders ’18 completed the program and gave an informational speech about her experience in early November. The program helps graduates what she called the “social aspects” of teaching, like classroom
Brock Lutz, noting that studies have shown that it leads to cognitive impairment and correlates with schizophrenia, but many of its effects are unknown. “The challenge is that we just don’t know,” Lutz said. “There are health concerns and I think, most of all, health questions.” Lutz said marijuana also has “insidious” emotional consequences from the drug’s sedative effect, which sets long-term users into a mood of complacency toward life. “I’ve noticed among people who are consistent marijuana users is there is a slow-growing mediocrity that sets in. It really mimics what it looks like when someone’s depressed,” Lutz said. Other Michigan colleges are also still banning marijuana, despite the change in state law. Spring Arbor University forbids marijuana, including medical marijuana, for students of any age on and off campus, and will not be
For cross country coverage, see A7.
New volunteers bolster GOAL education programs By | Abraham Sullivan Collegian Freelancer Jumping from 18 to 80 volunteers since last fall, Gier Reading and Journal Buddies is one of two GOAL programs that has seen recent growth. The other is the Public School Tutoring system, which has added a new program in order to better reach students in the community. Gier Reading and Journal Buddies has two parts, each supported by a different group of volunteers: reading volunteers who assist teachers in the classroom,
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always follow only the law: the college has a different purpose from the country, although the purposes are compatible; laws can be silly and wrongheaded. We must obey them, but we are not restricted to doing only what they say.” Petersen said he doesn’t often have to deal with student marijuana use. “Thankfully, it is not something I have to deal with a lot,” he said. “However, it comes up. Every one to two years I will have to address marijuana use with a student or two.” A substance-addicted life is the opposite of what a Hillsdale student’s life should look like, Lutz said. “We really want our students to display grit and resilience and courage in facing life’s problems, because I think our perspective is that people grow and they change as people when they face hard things and go through hard things,” Lutz said. “Drugs stop you from dealing with life. They hide it.”
Arena Lewis (right) runs in the cross country NCAA Division II National Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Lewis finished 37th and earned All-American honors for her performance. Sophia Madeda | Courtesy
management. Wonders said the program is flexible, with coursework for the program completed online and taking just under 100 hours in total. The program is flexible in other ways, too. “You can start applying for jobs the second you get accepted into the program,” Wonders said. Although Hillsdale College has an education program, it does not include the certification needed to be allowed to teach in many public schools. Because of this, many graduates end up teaching at a private or charter school. “These schools — mostly private and charter classical schools — want Hillsdale College students because they are broadly educated (the core curriculum), they know their content (challenging majors
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changing that policy, said Dan Vanderhill, vice president of student development. Vanderhill cited “personal health, spiritual health, and safety” as the reasons for the policy. The University of Michigan’s drug policy on its website declares that the change in state law does not change the school’s no-drug policy for students and employees on campus, citing federal law. “U-M receives federal funding for various uses, including research and student financial aid,” the policy states. “As such, U-M must comply with federal law, including all current federal drug laws.” In a memo to students and staff, Jackson College also cited federal law and federal funding as reasons for maintaining its no-drug policy. But if federal law were to legalize marijuana, Hillsdale College policy likely would remain the same. “That fact alone would not make us change,” Arnn said. “Two reasons why we do not
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and journal buddies, college students who become pen pals with fourth-graders at Gier Elementary School. In the Journal Buddies program, volunteers share a journal with a middle school student, writing letters back and forth as they trade the journal. The program’s tremendous growth has occurred since junior Frances Wiese took over last fall. Wiese attributes the growth to the inherent nature of the program. “I sort of always knew Journal Buddies was a good program for college students, because they don’t have to
leave campus and it’s a really small time commitment,” Wiese said. Besides, the program is a lot of fun, she said. “I think we forget sometimes how fun it is to talk to kids, if that’s not something you’re doing on a regular basis,” she said. “It’s a nice break to get to chat with a fourth grader about what’s going on in their life, which is so different in a lot of ways, but also similar.” The kids are excited about it as well, she said.
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