So open up this really official looking email today with a case number and a link that sent me to a page that required me to sign in. I sign in and it is a letter saying: Incident Brief: “There was allegedly an odor of marijuana coming from your room which was recognized by University Police during the fall 2016 semester.” I need to meet with this guy who is the adjudication officer for this matter. The rest of the pretty much said: “The complaint and/or investigation information upon which this notice is based will be discussed with you. You will be provided a fair and reasonable opportunity to answer, explain and defend against the charge(s). A decision will be rendered in the form of an appropriate disciplinary sanction, a referral for a formal hearing, or a finding that no misconduct was determined.”
Should I just go and say it wasn’t me, and invite them to search my room which has no illegal substances in it. This is the first im hearing of these allegations, whenever the cop apparently smelled it he did not knock on my door and confront me about it. I have three other roomates but they are pretty weird guys who dont party so I no it wasnt any of them. Also i dont think any of them got an email about it, which doesnt make sense to me why I would be singled out.
Did you print the letter? I would consult an attorney. It looks like they plan on pinning an honor violation on you with very flimsy evidence. If you are truly innocent wouldn’t your parents be willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars to consult an attorney? As a parent I think this letter is outrageous. If the police officer smelled something burning why would he not get an RA to open the door with a pass key? No wonder students move off campus as soon as possible. You pay huge rent for the dorm room and have no privacy.
This makes no sense. If it isn’t a prank or scam, I sure want to know what school it is. You are one of several roommates yet the only one receiving notice? Alleged smell? If it is true, yes, consulting an attorney or at least a lawyer friend makes sense.
Maybe you should just skip it and if they come back to you about it, tell them you thought it was an “alleged prank” because it makes no sense.
It is possible that there was a smell coming from my room at some point during last semester, however there not being any illegal substances in my room currently i dont see how they could actually do anything if I tell them that they must be mistaken, I live by the elevator so people are constantly walking by. Ive never smoked in my room, the only time I think it could have been possible is when my friend from a different school came over (who carries ounces around in his bag), but that was back in september. Im 95% sure the letter is legit. I sent the guy an email back saying: “I just read the letter sent to me about the alleged odor of marijuana coming from my room last semester. I can meet whenever to try and get this issue resolved. I am confused on why I am just hearing about this now, the letter says that the police recognized it but I was never confronted about this. Whatever the case I am eager to get this matter resolved, please let me know when you are available.” I had considered that it is possible that one of my roommates is trying to get me into trouble but i am very doubtful of this. My law teacher is a lawyer and a really nice guy who reprents students for free, Next time I have class I will ask him what I should do.
I find it very interesting that they could pinpoint the room. Pot smoke is super pervasive and would be very difficult to home in on in an enclosed hall with multiple rooms. Unless they saw pot smoke pouring from underneath your door, I don’t see how they can prove anything. And it sounds like no one bothered to investigate beyond “reporting” it. Does the report even cite a specific day, beyond “Fall 2016”? Sounds super specious to me.
Your law teacher friend will probably advise you to not tell them anything or offer up your room for search. I don’t think I would have even signed anything online, but that’s hindsight.
I was an RA many years ago and we wrote up a lot of students for “suspicion of marijuana”. It wasn’t a big deal. The students went to the adjucation board. It was part of progressive discipline so if they kept doing it they eventually got evicted from the residence hall but as a one time thing it was no big deal.
@engineer4life. Do you know the school this student attends? How can you possibly say this “is not a big deal?” It sounds to me that he or she is being set up for an honor code violation. I think the idea to consult the law teacher is a good one.