71 drug, alcohol infractions given by CMU Police in residence halls since 2005

Larzelere and Thorpe halls have had the most reported alcohol and drug violations with police involvement in the last five years.

The Central Michigan University Police Department compiled a five-year report of incidents in each of the residence halls. While 20 of the university’s 22 residence halls saw violations in the single digits, Larzelere and Thorpe had 18 and 17 reported incidents, respectively.

The report only includes instances where the CMU Police Department were contacted, said Police Chief Bill Yeagley.

Of the 71 total infractions in all the residence halls, 54 were drug-related and 17 involved alcohol. In Larzelere Hall, all but one of the 18 violations involved drugs.

“The Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team has been more active on campus,” Yeagley said. “In the past years, BAYANET had a number of cases where several individuals were arrested in (Larzelere).”

Yeagley said residence hall staff often handle alcohol issues on their own, but may be more inclined to report drug violations.

Statistics provided by Director of Student Life Tony Voisin do not specify the number of violations from individual residence halls, but show that almost all alcohol cases are handled by the residence hall staff without police support.

In the 2008-09 academic year, the office handled 459 reported violations of the university’s alcohol policy. That number is relatively consistent with the last 10 years. The peak was in 2004-05, when 627 cases were reported.

The numbers do not include instances where a student was found in violation of the policy, but was not reported to university officials by their RHD, Voisin said.

“These are referrals of instances (on campus) that have come to us,” he said. “Almost all involve the residence halls.”

Referrals of controlled substances were much lower, with 45 being reported last year and a peak of 59 in the 2006-07 academic year.

Hall handlings

Larzelere Residence Hall Director Andrea Purrenhage said her hall handles drug situations a little differently.

“If we suspect there is marijuana, we will contact the police,” she said.

However, the hall has traditionally written up minors for being in possession of alcohol and not contacted the police, Purrenhage said.

At CMU, residents found in violation of the alcohol policy are required to meet with the RHD, who can report the situation to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

The fine for a first-time offense is $150.

The CMU Police Department has no issues with the cases not being reported to them, Yeagley said.

“We’re dealing with minor infractions here, not serious incidents,” he said.

Purrenhage said the Larzelere Hall staff does a good job of enforcing the drug and alcohol violations, which could explain the higher numbers. Although Thorpe Hall had just one fewer violation than Larzelere, a disparity was shown compared to the remaining buildings. The third-most came from Calkins Hall, where nine occurred.

Six residence halls listed in the report have not reported any drug or alcohol incidents to the CMU Police Department over the last five years. Another six halls reported one violation.

Beddow Hall is one building that has had zero reported incidents since 2005. Residence Hall Director Linda Van Loon said her staff has handled the majority of alcohol problems on their own during the time she has worked there.

“If we need the police to support us, we will call them in,” she said. “We have included police in alcohol situations where there is a medical emergency.”