Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III said a meeting between members of his office, the college and police Thursday morning resulted in a better understanding of what occurred during a so-called “420” celebration near a pond on campus last week.
Murphy said college security officials, Saratoga Springs police and others who witnessed what appeared to be overt smoking of marijuana reported that about 20 students participated in the event.
“What I have learned from a lengthy meeting this morning is that it would appear some reports of the event were exaggerated,” Murphy said.
The April 20 event staged on campuses and at other places around the country urges legalized marijuana use. The local event was advertised in campus communications beforehand.
Campus Safety Director Dennis Conway said his staff patrolled the grounds and did not see anyone smoking marijuana.
“The area where they were gathered cannot be driven up to. You have to patrol on foot,” Conway said. “When our officers approached, if the students had anything, they did not display it.”
He said there were tents set up on the lawn and he did not authorize anyone on his staff to enter those tents.
Murphy agreed that the campus security officers would not have had a right to enter the tents without a search warrant.
“We have no case to prosecute anyone who might have participated in the alleged incident because we do not have identities and we would need a blood test to prove that marijuana had been ingested,” he said.
Dean of Students W. Rochelle Calhoun said Skidmore College’s current policies on alcohol and drug use are about five years old and were scheduled for review before the April 20 incident. “[Campus officials] have been talking that it’s time to reopen the conversation about how well the policies are working,” she said.
She said students are held accountable for their actions, whether on campus or off.
“We tell our students that if they do things off campus, they will be held accountable by the laws of the land and we will also hold them responsible on campus,” she said.
Calhoun said it is not unusual for local residents to resent college students or to perceive that the students feel they are above the law.
“We call that the town/gown issue. It’s a typical perception in college towns, but we want it known we tell our students we do not promote or tolerate irresponsible behavior,” she said.