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Show THE DAILY L'TAH CHRONICLE I Monday, Not From Around Here Am lk n in. J?oo- - 3 i ine U's Dangerous Craig Froehlich L. CX. of Chronicle Feature Columnist Arguments About Religion May Ruin Relationships, But... Wednesday, a holy man with ashes smeared a "plus sign" on the foreheads of members of a quaint religion. This practice astounded the locals, who made queries about people with tattoos on their faces or wondered about the "crud on that guy's forehead." The ignorance culminated in a comment that put me squarely in league with my former faith, "You look like Charles Manson." It was the Catholic ritual of Ash Wednesday. The ignorant person, who compared the religious rite to a swastika the murderous Manson carved on his forehead, grew up in the shadow of the locally owned and operated Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints. Utah's culture somehow transforms the Roman Catholic Church into a courageous underdog. The cross that inspires reverence in most of the Christian faithful meant very little to the speaker. It means very little in Utah's dominant faith. Regardless. I can't blame the Mormon faithful for ignorant statements. The religious faithful tend to show more tact. They realize their own religion falls victim to similar displays of inanity by the misinformed. With the words, "remember you arc dust and unto dust you shall return," a priest marks a cross on the foreheads of .the faithful. It represents their faith in silent testimony. It symbolizes sorrow for one's sins and shows humility in the face of inevitable mortality. I'm quick to point out the pagan inspiration or commercial blemishes of religious holidays, yet I respect Ash Wednesday. It seems pure to me. I describe Catholicism as my former faith. As a child, I considered myself a devout Catholic. My aspiration to join the celibate ranks of the priesthood disappeared around the same time I discovered masturbation. Despite the sinful regard my religion had for my serendipitous activity, I continued unabated, If the simulaalthough tor was that much fun, I imagined the real thing was spectacular. Soon d after, my sensitivity to hypocrisy and disillusionment finished off the rest of my Catholic identity. I felt shamed by the church's history of ignorance and persecution. Seeing ignorance reflected back at the religion left me feeling protective of it . I fight the urge to blame Utah's dominant faith for breeding disrespect. I realize how the incident indicates an American norm toward blissful ignorance. The speaker remained gleefully aloof. It is not offensive if you don't know. Feel free to interrupt a Muslim's midday prayer and ask if he is suffering from stomach cramps. Ask a Jew why he sometimes wears a tea cozy on his head. Draft a Quaker and offer a' Hindu some beef jerky. Trust mc it's funny as long as you remain oblivious and it affords me the opportunity to describe temple garments as "magic underwear." Let us give thanks. cfroehlichchronicle.utah.edu Last guilt-ridde- new-foun- n. In 1997, the U was fifth in the nation for narcotics arrests. The problem has not gone away since then. Drug use at the U is not in remission. ERYN GREEN Chronicle Staff Writer The U has track marks on its arms, bloodshot eyes and red circles around its nose. It raves the night away, popping pills, listening to some serious bass beats. The U has a drug problem, and nothing seems to be helping. Sgt. Brad Buckmillcr knows the telltale signs of drug abuse all too well. Prior to his current position as a U police officer, he spent seven years as a member of a narcotics enforcement task force. Buckmillcr says that the U isn't a new addict. "In 1997, the U was fifth in the nation for narcotics arrests," Buckmillcr said. "The problem has not gone away since then. Drug use at the U is not in remission." The U's police department gets calls daily regarding suspicious d activity from concerned citizens, and Buckmillcr says the use of drugs is more prevalent today than ever before. "Personally, I think that narcotics-related crime is not decreasing at all," he said. "We get more calls now than we ever have before, and while there arc several possible explanations for that fact, the most obvious one is high drug activity." Drugs like ecstasy (MDMA), mcthamphctaminc, marijuana, cocaine and heroin plague the U campus, Buckmillcr said. This fact is intimidating, but even more so is the sentiment expressed by Buckmillcr that, in its current state, the U's narcotics enforcement agency is no longer capable of stopping such a serious problem. Budget cuts have crippled the U's police force, and in turn, crippled the effectiveness of law enforcement on campus. Twenty years ago, the U's police agency had 40 officerstoday, it has 31. "We used to take a very proactive d stance in the enforcement of laws," Buckmillcr said. "Our proactive stance is limited now due to budget cuts. We arc understaffed, underfunded and forced to take a reactive stance regarding the drug problem." The commuter-campu- s nature of the U may have something to do drug-relate- drug-relate- with the drug problem. "Most of the drugs sold arc from sources," Buckmillcr said. "That fact makes it difficult to catch the dealers." Regardless of their origin, Buckmillcr says that drugs today arc more dangerous than ever none more than ecstasy, the most dangerous drug on campus, according to off-camp- Buckmillcr. becoming one of the drugs most frequently used in sexual assaults and date rapes, and the drug is accepted by many college students. "Ecstasy is the most dangerous drug on campus because everyone's body reacts differently to it," Buckmillcr said. "The scariest thing about ecstasy is that people seem to regard it as such a benign drug. I recently talked to a drug user who said that taking ecstasy was as normal as taking aspirin." , While no demographic is more susceptible to drug abuse than any other, Buckmillcr says that he is not surprised when college students abuse drugs. "During the first two years out of parental control, students feel a d sense of frccdom...this freedom often leads to experimentation," Buckmillcr said. Dennis Willigan, a sociology professor at the U, says there arc sociological explanations for substance abuse. "Often times, mental illnesses commonly found on university campuses can lead to the abuse of a substance," Willigan said. "Depression is a catalyst, as are p factors like a and pressure feeling of invincibild ity associated with the freedom students get when they move away from home." Ray Kcsncr, a psychology professor at the U, says that environment can have a direct link to drug abuse. "The mental dependency that comes with substance abuse often translates to the environment in which the abuse takes place," Kesncr said. "Sometimes, a drug user will clean up and stop using, but upon returning to the location of his previous abuse, he will feel a need to use drugs again." Willigan asserts that, whatever the causes, drug abuse today is much more dangerous than it was in previous decades. "The potency of marijuana alone is so much more today that it almost needs to be categorized as a different substance than it was in previous generations," Willigan Ecstasy is quickly new-foun- cd related arrests," Willigan said. "That's not really a surprise, though, considering that the DEA recently named Salt Lake City as the mcthamphctamine capital of the world. But the biggest problem for college students is alcohol." Buckmillcr agrees with Willigan and says alcohol leads to more violent confrontations than any other substance. "Substance abuse and violence are directly linked. ..alcohol is the most common violence-inducin- g substance," Buckmillcr said. But hope isn't lost. Though the substance abuse problem at the U may seem overwhelming, Buckmillcr says there are steps students and university community members can take to help slow the prob" lem. "Students can contact a residen .THE tial adviser or mentor," Buckmillcr said. "If you are in a fraternity or sorority, you can contact your organization's director or go straight to a law enforcement agency." But, Buckmillcr says, it is never advisable to confront the suspect. "Any suspect is potentially dangerous, and you put yourself into a potentially dangerous situation if you choose to confront him," Buck-miller said. Above all else, Buckmillcr and Willigan agree that the most effective deterrent to the presence of drug activity is a strong community mind set about the matter. "The narcotics problem is absolutely a community problem and the entire community needs to be involved if any progress is to be made," Buckmillcr said. eqreenfi'chronicie.ut ah.edu 111! University 0FUTAH Become a Laboratory Professional with a Marketable B.S. Degree in Medical Laboratory Science Medical Technologists arc: Defectives of the medical community Important for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention ofilisea.se Vital members of the healthcare team 0 o o For more information about this dynamic, exciliirj profession peer-grou- new-foun- said. Willigan agrees with Buckmillcr that the drug problem at the U is not going away, but says alcohol is still the most commonly abused substance in college. "In 2000, the U was in the top six universities in the nation for drug- - ("all J. 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