Dean Cole-Newkirk's drug policies new for Oberlin

At former job Cole-Newkirk earned a hard-lined reputation

A name placard centered on a bulletin board on one wall of her office identifies Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk as, "Mean Dean Charlene."

She earned this nickname at her former position as Dean of Students at St. Mary's College in Maryland because of her persistent approach to cracking down on alcohol abuse there. At Oberlin, her tactics of handling issues concerning drug policy and enforcement have won her both supporters and critics.

Some students have said there's a contradiction in Cole's drug policy ideas as opposed to her drug enforcement.

"Freedom of expression and choice is something that is valued here," explained Senator senior Noah Bopp. "[Cole-Newkirk] hasn't done a good job at playing political games," and as a result, "has made herself a target."

Cole-Newkirk's record of drug policy enforcement in her short time here has raised student concern regarding her intent to restructure Oberlin's drug policy as part of overhauling the Student Regulations book. Some students are nervous about Cole-Newkirk's plans to update the policy.

"The drug policy is a facet of a larger issue where Cole-Newkirk sees herself as some kind of socio-moral guide for the college," said Senator senior Chapin Benninghoff. "The old drug policy was fine because they didn't enforce it," Benninghoff said.

Cole-Newkirk's determination to address the drug issue stands in contrast to her predecessor Patrick Penn's enforcement of drug policy, which some have said seemed minimal by comparison. "Nothing really happened," said Bopp. "Nobody's exactly sure what he did."

Cole-Newkirk said about past drug policy enforcement, "Many students didn't feel that anyone was doing anything to address the issue. Cole-Newkirk said those concerns were communicated to her before she arrived on-campus.

Cole-Newkirk's creation of a task force to assess and restructure the drug policy will represent a forum for discussion on the issue. The task force will meet for the first time before the end of the semester. Cole estimated that the whole process of rewriting