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OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Washington, D.C. 20500
April 12, 1991
President Donald Kennedy
Stanford University
Office of the President
Building 10
Stanford, California 94305-2060
Dear President Kennedy:
I write to call your attention to correspondence on Stanford letterhead
recently received in this office. I refer specificially to a letter dated
March 28, 1991, addressed to me, and apparently signed by a Mr. Stuart
Reges, a senior lecturer in the Stanford Department of Computer Science. I
attach a copy of this letter, and the attachments sent with it, for your
information.
In sum, Mr. Reges has written this office (and the U.S. Department of
Education) to announce that he carries illegal drugs on the Stanford campus,
uses them himself, and advocates and encourages their use by Stanford
undergraduates. Mr. Reges further informs us that his "pro-drug stance" and
illegal drug use are broadly known on the Stanford campus. He says, in
fact, that he has published a lengthy two-part article describing his
opinions and actions in The Stanford Daily (November 8-9, 1990). And he
reports that despite his open violation and defiance of Stanford anti-drug
policy, no discliplinary [sic] action has ever been taken against him by the
University, though a Stanford drug counselor did telephone him to express
her disapproval.
I know you share my concern about the threat illegal drugs pose to all young
Americans, and I am sure you agree that American higher education has a
special obligation to help ensure the safety and order of its campuses where
drugs are at issue. Then, too, I know you are aware of legal provisions
governing receipt of Federal funding and financial assistance (including
participation in all Federal student aid programs) by institutions of higher
education.
To retain eligibility for Federal funding and financial assistance, an
institution of higher education must adopt and implement a drug prevention
program for students and employees (20 U.S.C. section 1145g). That program
must include standards of conduct that clearly prohibit unlawful possession,
use, or distribution of illicit drugs by students and employees on an
institution's property or as part of its activities. That program must
additionally include a clear statement that the institution will impose
sanctions on students and employees for violations of these standards of
conduct. And the institution must ensure that such sanctions are
consistently enforced.
In all candor, I would find it beyond comprehension that a man who openly
professes to have encouraged an undergraduate to ingest MDA could continue
to enjoy faculty privileges at a pace-setting institution like Stanford
University. I was myself a teacher for many years. I can think of no
action more radically at odds with the responsibilities an educator has to
his students.
I am certain you share my distress over this incident, and I look forward to
your earliest possible response and reply.
Sincerely,
BOB MARTINEZ
Director
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