Days before marijuana enthusiasts around the world celebrate the drug, 4/20 has already seen its fair share of controversy. Students over the past week have come forth with their opinions on the subject, denoting excitement as well as wariness for the event.
It isn’t just students, however, that will be enduring the campus crackdown Saturday. Faculty at the university were willing to come forth with their thoughts on the seemingly canonized event.
“I think it’s a waste of all the resources on campus,” said Paula Dufour, program assistant for the linguistics department. “It has nothing to do with campus. If they want to do it, I think they need to find another location not on campus, especially when a majority of the people aren’t from campus. It interrupts everything.”
Equally bothered by the influx of out of town visitors was Associate Professor and Director of Film Studies, Dr. Ernesto R. Acevedo-Muñoz.
“Unfortunately, this activity attracts people who are not affiliated with the university; people who don’t really care what’s going on here, people who just want to party and get drunk, and I don’t know, get rowdy,” Acevado-Muñoz said. “I personally have nothing against freer marijuana policies, but the turning it into a holiday and then bringing it to the University of Colorado-Boulder is extremely disruptive.”
Other faculty members gave different takes on the celebration, considering it a natural part of growing up and seeing it as being far less deserving of the attention it receives from the media, educational establishments or law enforcement.
“I understand people want to have a good time, so it’s fine,” said Jennifer Peterson, assistant professor in the film studies department. “Although, I understand they have to control crowds. They’re worried about people getting hurt.”
Most warrant the event as too complicated to establish the issue as being good or bad.
“I think it’s an expression of their freedom and their age, which is kind of an appropriate thing to do, rebellious acts like this,” Don Yannacito, executive assistant director in the film studies department, said. “We know that students are going to do things like this. It’s part of growing up and part of being in college, so why not work with them in an intelligent and adult way instead of condemning and vilifying it?”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Megan Curry at Megan.l.curry@colorado.edu.
1 comment
Yeah, it’s REAL disruptive to classes going on today! Oh wait, what classes? So why do I still have to show my ID just to get on campus? That’s disruptive! And why don’t we get rid of football games too, because those are awfully disruptive, too, attracting tons of people that don’t even go to school here to drink in the parking lots and leave their trash everywhere.