Questions arise at student open forum
Audit, marijuana arrests among discussions
Stephanie Encin
Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: News
UCF President John Hitt just said no to a student's proposal at a student open forum Thursday to stop arrests on campus for possession of marijuana.
Hitt, along with Provost Terry Hickey and vice presidents Maribeth Ehasz and Tom Huddleston, also defended the university's 2007 audit results and academic dishonesty policies and New UCF Arena rules.
UCF senior Joshua Giesegh, a business major, implored Hitt to show support for his efforts to legalize marijuana, which Giesegh called a safe drug.
"Tobacco itself kills 435,000 people a year," Giesegh said. "Marijuana doesn't kill anyone."
Hitt said that, as the president of a state institution, he has to uphold Florida laws.
"If you want to be able to get folks who use marijuana free from arrest, you need to be talking to the Florida Legislature and probably to the U.S. Congress," Hitt said.
Giesegh said he is already talking to politicians. In May, Giesegh will lead a Global Marijuana March on the steps of Orlando City Hall.
Broadcast journalism major Jen Whalen was filming the forum for UCF Knightly News. She stepped out from behind her camera to challenge the president to defend UCF's 2007 audit, specifically the findings that UCF overpaid one professor by $100,000, charged international students a $50 fee and loaned money to the Athletics Association without proper approval or a plan for repayment.
Hitt acknowledged overpaying the professor, calling it a bad and embarrassing error made by personnel within the university. As soon as it was detected, he said, the university created a plan for repayment, which is already in progress.
As far as the $50 fee for international students, Hitt said it is a perfectly legitimate fee, which was charged in anticipation of action taken by the Board of Governors.
"I guess technically we were not in compliance, but we are doing today exactly what we were doing then, and it's now legal," Hitt said.
Hitt, along with Provost Terry Hickey and vice presidents Maribeth Ehasz and Tom Huddleston, also defended the university's 2007 audit results and academic dishonesty policies and New UCF Arena rules.
UCF senior Joshua Giesegh, a business major, implored Hitt to show support for his efforts to legalize marijuana, which Giesegh called a safe drug.
"Tobacco itself kills 435,000 people a year," Giesegh said. "Marijuana doesn't kill anyone."
Hitt said that, as the president of a state institution, he has to uphold Florida laws.
"If you want to be able to get folks who use marijuana free from arrest, you need to be talking to the Florida Legislature and probably to the U.S. Congress," Hitt said.
Giesegh said he is already talking to politicians. In May, Giesegh will lead a Global Marijuana March on the steps of Orlando City Hall.
Broadcast journalism major Jen Whalen was filming the forum for UCF Knightly News. She stepped out from behind her camera to challenge the president to defend UCF's 2007 audit, specifically the findings that UCF overpaid one professor by $100,000, charged international students a $50 fee and loaned money to the Athletics Association without proper approval or a plan for repayment.
Hitt acknowledged overpaying the professor, calling it a bad and embarrassing error made by personnel within the university. As soon as it was detected, he said, the university created a plan for repayment, which is already in progress.
As far as the $50 fee for international students, Hitt said it is a perfectly legitimate fee, which was charged in anticipation of action taken by the Board of Governors.
"I guess technically we were not in compliance, but we are doing today exactly what we were doing then, and it's now legal," Hitt said.