More students have been caught smoking marijuana and referred to the University Board on Student Conduct (UBSC) than in previous years, according to Director of Student Development and Judicial Education Shawn McGuirk . Since the beginning of summer '03 classes, about 50 incidents of illegal drug use were referred to the UBSC, which deliberates on individual cases and delivers a punishment to the party involved.

The UBSC consists of eight faculty members and 15 students.

Students can opt not to go before the board and instead speak directly to a judicial administrator who recommends a punishment. Punishments range from mere warnings or probation, to semester suspensions.

"[Administrators the UBSC] try not to fall into average punishment, and try to base each case on its own merits," McGuirk said. While some punishment may work for some students, they do not work for everyone."

While the numbers of UBSC cases concerning marijuana use rose in the past six months, McGuirk said that statistic does not necessarily imply that more people are using that drug on campus.

McGuirk attributes the rise to a heightened awareness among CA's about how to confront drug and alcohol use on campus.

Assistant Dean of Student Life Lori Tenser, agrees.She said that the transition from RA to CA was not simply cosmetic, but actually coincided with an improvement in the way people are trained.

"There is a noticeable improvement in the way CAs are trained in understanding university policy and dealing with its offenders," Tenser said.

Massell Quad Director Aarika Camp said she encourages her CAs to be as diligent as possible when they are on duty. She attributes this to the hiring process, which she said "no longer looks for people who want to be 'police officers,' but instead seeks people who value community, and are welltrained and know what to do."

Dan Schleifstein '05, and Lauren Jarvis '05, are the two co-chairs of the UBSC.

Schleifstein said that he thinks more students on campus are smoking marijuana because "[it] is less stigmatized now than it was in the past. Students often come to us and say that they were 'only' smoking pot."

Brandeis Drug and Alcohol Counselor Dawn Skop talks with many of the students who go through the judicial process at Brandeis. After meeting with almost 60 this past semester, she notes a larger number of first-years and sophomores have had to go through counseling as part of their punishment.

Skop noticed other trends as well. She said that almost a quarter of her visits dealt with marijuana, and there were about ten more males than females.

The new counseling service, which is open to all students, not only offenders, is both confidential and free.

"We are not out to tell students how to live, but we want to help them be more responsible. For example, we don't usually tell students they shouldn't drink, but we do help them plan their weekend so they drink responsibly," Skop said.

In order to further understand the drug and alcohol habits of students at Brandeis, an anonymous survey, which was designed for institutional research, will be distributed to residents in the next two weeks. The results will help people like Skop better advise and understand the students she sees in her office, which is located in the health center.

The UBSC does not only deal with cases for drug use. All violations of University policy, including alcohol, academic dishonesty, fire safety, falsified documents and public urination, are all referred to the UBSC for consideration. During the summer and fall terms, 168 referrals were submitted under the above categories.