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We endorse both green amendments |
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Written by Editorial - Central Florida Future
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Friday, 15 February 2008 |
The Central Florida Future officially endorses both resolutions 40-08 and 40-11 that will be on the ballot for student vote along with the SGA presidential nomination this Monday.
Resolution 40-08 reads, "Do you support revising the Golden Rule setting an equal maximum punishment guideline for minor, on-campus marijuana and alcohol offenses for first, second and third time offenses, as defined by the Office of Student Conduct?"
We feel this "marijuana fairness" amendment is essential because it reflects the reality not only of society's use of marijuana today but of the UCF student body's ties to the low-key drug.
The resolution continues: "The lack of guidelines regarding marijuana
and alcohol use with the Golden Rule has resulted in unequal outcomes
when comparing sanctions between the violation of alcohol and the
violation of marijuana use, and is an issue many students at UCF have
expressed concern over."
It is not logical to condemn a student as nothing but a delinquent for
a marijuana violation and merely slap the hand of a student caught
abusing alcohol. Alcohol is, according to the Greater Dallas Council on
Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the most commonly used and widely abused
psychoactive drug in the world - and the results of that are far more
dangerous than getting high.
Every year, more and more money is spent promoting the use of alcohol
through all types of mediums. And - news flash - alcohol, like
marijuana, is a drug, although society likes to treat it differently
because you can buy it in stores and restaurants.
And according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, "among college students and other 18- to 24-year-olds,
binge drinking and, in particular, driving while intoxicated (DWI),
have increased since 1998. The number of students who reported DWI
increased from 2.3 million students to 2.8 million. The number of
alcohol-related deaths also have increased."
Ask any NORML member and they'll remind you that no one has ever
overdosed on marijuana - but people regularly die from alcohol
poisoning.
With the amount of data and findings like these available today, it
would be living in the dark ages to act as if a student who uses
marijuana is a criminal and will amount to nothing in life and belongs
in jail. This is simply not true, and we would be disappointed in UCF
to learn that they treat their students in this manner.
We hope this resolution passes with flying colors because it will put
pressure on the Golden Rule Committee to change the rules to reflect
the student body's voice on the matter, rather than their own.
The second resolution states, "Are you in favor of creating a student
'green fee' of 75 cents per credit hour (about $9 per semester) to
generate a campus 'Sustainability Fund?'"
We are strongly in support of this amendment. The UCF Physical Plant's
Center for Energy and Sustainability has taken some steps toward making
UCF green, but they have not been enough to keep up with today's green
technology and UCF's booming population. In addition, there is
currently no fund at UCF that must be spent directly on sustainable
efforts.
We feel that implementing this fund, and voting in favor of the green
fee, is a key step toward putting UCF on par with other progressive
universities who have already passed the green fee, such as the
University of Florida and New College of Florida.
The fee can be used toward many diverse projects and programs that
focus on sustainability because sustainable efforts permeate almost any
facet of one's life. These projects could include bike trails, land
management, social justice programs, student gardens, composting
efforts, or even local, organic food purchasing plans.
We feel that this should be viewed less as a "fee," with its monetary
connotations, and more as the UCF students choosing to invest in their
campus' future and the future of the planet. By implementing this fee,
it's setting up opportunities for future Knights and going down in
alumni history as the class that stood for sustainable change.
The Future hopes that the student body will keep these two important
amendments in mind come this Monday's voting and support creating a
more progressive UCF - vote yes for both resolutions. |
