Lawrence Hall residents were met with warnings from Residence Life staff over what they describe as a constant smell of marijuana from dorms in the building.
According to Residence Life, the number of complaints related to marijuana smells has jumped to its highest number in two years. Additionally, Residence Life said several students’ health has been impacted due to the constant smell of marijuana.
Residence Life said, while marijuana is decriminalized in Pa., it is still “absolutely prohibited” anywhere on university property.
To try to mitigate the problem, Residence Life said in an announcement that staff will search rooms in Lawrence Hall where marijuana is suspected. An employee with the Residence Life office said whether dorms have been searched or not is confidential information, so it could not share details.
However, the office said the problem of people smoking in their dorm rooms and in the stairwell spans each floor and is not concentrated on one area. Two other staff with Residence Life confirmed this, saying no one specific floor is worse than another, and instead it is all bad.
One Residence Life employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity based on sharing insider information, said finding the source of marijuana in the dorms can be tricky just because of the sheer number of people smoking it inside. In a normal scenario, the employee said Residence Educators (RE) have a system in place to handle situations where someone is suspected of smoking or having marijuana in their dorm.
First, the RE will go up to rooms on the floor they oversee to find where the suspected marijuana smell is coming from. Once the source of the smell is found, usually by going up to the room and checking if the smell gets stronger, the RE then contacts the administrator on duty and lets them know of a room with a suspected marijuana smell.
Once a suspected room is identified, the administrator on duty (AOD) and Point Park police officers will knock on the room’s door and ask the resident if it can be searched. However, the source said the question is just a courtesy, as they can search the room regardless of permission. Point Park’s university handbook details this policy on page 110, noting that university officials can enter a room regardless if there is cause to believe that a violation took place, including drug policy violations.
The employee said the smell of someone smoking marijuana on one floor can easily travel throughout much of Lawrence Hall because of how the building’s ventilation system is designed. They said all the vents are connected, leading a stench to travel from one place to the rest of the building.
The drug policy states that students on campus are not allowed to possess any drug paraphernalia at any time, even if it’s just used as a decoration. Fines for drug violations can span from a $125 fine for first time offenders caught with a “non-host substance” to $275 per substance for a “severe substance.”
According to a source familiar with the marijuana problem, fines for violations range from $250 to $300. Additionally, parents of students under 21 are contacted for drug violations.
One Residence Life employee said if a specific source for a marijuana smell can’t be found, then probable cause is given for the AOD to search all the rooms in one area to check for drug policy violations. The employee said the last time such searches were necessary was two years ago.
Additionally, the employee said smoking marijuana inside is a risk for the resident and others, especially those allergic to the substance and those with emotional support animals who may be sensitive to it.
Jeffrey Besong, Point Park’s police chief, said his officers do not conduct room inspections but will confiscate any contraband found in a dorm room during a search.
One of the Residence Life employees suggested students instead smoke outside, noting the fines from Pittsburgh Police are minuscule in comparison to the fines and punishment from university administrators.
