In the past, the University of Colorado Boulder's unsanctioned 4/20 smoke-out event drew large crowds, but not tickets from police. A crack-down this year will change that. But on the "bright" side, a letter to students from the student government says that there will be a Wyclef Jean show nearby for students to attend during that time instead.
In previous years, police hadn't issued many tickets on 4/20; a few students/attendees who were caught smoking marijuana before the event took place were pinched, but without large-scale police presence. And according to the Daily Camera, the university had tried to discourage attendees from sticking around, including turning on the sprinklers and hiring undercover students to take pictures of smokers, then offering a bounty to identify the smokers later.
"They've even tried putting down a fertilizer that smelled like fish," says the Daily Camera, "but it didn't deter crowds."
Playboy had even named CU Boulder the number one party school in 2011 after thousands of cannabis enthusiasts (many not students) flooded the campus for the 4/20 smokeout last year. This prompted a school regent and some student government leaders to try and move the event off-campus.
This year, however, students were greeted with a letter from the student leaders, offering a free, student-attendee-only concert featuring Wyclef Jean in the Coors Event Center.
Jean, former member of the Fugees as well as presidential candidate for Haiti in 2010, is no stranger to marijuana. He even once suggested that then-President Bush needed to smoke marijuana.
The Daily Camera says that school officials claim that the 4/20 smoke-out "costs the school $50,000 annually -- with expenses that include contracting with event staff to close off parking and make sure revelers aren't wandering into classrooms, and hiring extra police officers."
Vice President for External Affairs Brooks Kanski, who claims that the smoke-out damages the school's reputation, says that the Wyclef concert will cost $150,000.
Here is the text of the letter students received today (courtesy of the Westword):
TO: CU Students
FROM: Deb Coffin, vice chancellor for student affairs
Karen Raforth, interim dean of students
Carly Robinson, CUSG internal vice president
SENDER: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
DATE: April 3, 2012
SUBJECT: Important information on the 4/20 gathering on the CU-Boulder campus
Dear CU student:
As you know, your student government and the university administration would like the disruptive, unnecessary and unsanctioned 4/20 gathering on the CU-Boulder campus to end. With this in mind, please join us in taking key steps this year to end 4/20.
We invite students who do not have Friday afternoon classes to attend the free Wyclef Jean concert at the Coors Events Center, sponsored by CU Student Government (CUSG) in partnership with Program Council.
The concert is for CU-Boulder students only. Doors open at 2 p.m. and will close at 4 p.m. The concert is expected to end at 6 p.m. More information on the concert will be e-mailed to students in coming weeks, so watch your e-mail for upcoming announcements.
We also want to communicate some key changes and conditions that may impact you or your peers on 4/20:
• Tickets will be issued for smoking marijuana on the Norlin Quad, or anywhere on campus, prior to, during and after the gathering. Such tickets can result in a $100 fine.
• Possession of a medical marijuana card does not entitle its holder to smoke marijuana on campus, and in fact can result in revocation of the card.
• Alcohol policies will be strictly enforced throughout the campus.
• Students who receive tickets will be subject to a review process with the Office of Student Conduct and if a student is found responsible, sanctions will be issued. Additional sanctions will be levied by the Boulder County and Boulder City courts.
• The federal Clery Act requires that the university maintain a publicly accessible crime log. Those ticketed or arrested for violating CU rules and state or local laws will have their names posted on the CU-Boulder police website's daily crime log, which could affect their employment futures.
• All classes and academic activities will go on as scheduled.
• Please do not invite friends or visitors to campus that day. Those not affiliated with CU-Boulder are advised to avoid the campus entirely on 4/20.
• Plan ahead since extremely heavy traffic and long traffic jams are expected on Broadway due to construction and along 28th Street due to overflow traffic. University and City of Boulder guest parking will be virtually non-existent on the CU-Boulder campus and in adjacent CU neighborhoods.
Please join the CU Student Government and the University in taking key steps this year to end this disruptive, unsanctioned gathering on the CU-Boulder campus. Your degree has value and your safety and your future matter to all of us who are proud of the University of Colorado Boulder.
Sincerely,
Deb Coffin, vice chancellor for student affairs
Karen Raforth, interim dean of students
Carly Robinson, CUSG internal vice president
What do you think? Should the school attempt to protect its campus from the 4/20 smoke-out? Or should they just let the event happen without getting involved?
(lead photo by Hunter Stevens, from the Westword)
