To make sure VCU students got the message, administrators met with all student, faculty and staff leaders. The university specifically targeted students living on campus, and it posted an explanation in the Stall Street Journal, a newsletter posted in bathrooms. Klink called it the second-most effective way to communicate with students — after Instagram.
Students seem to understand the campus policy, Klink said.
Kaliyah Harkless, a 19-year-old VCU biology major who lives on campus, said students generally understand they can’t consume marijuana on campus. There are signs in the parking decks explaining VCU is a drug-free campus, she said.
But Kaytlyn Brady, a 22-year-old VCU student who lives off campus, said she hadn’t heard about the nuances of the drug policy this year.
“It sounds like it would be confusing,” she said after hearing it.
As far as Brady can tell, the university’s culture toward marijuana hasn’t changed this semester. Klink has worked at VCU for 20 years, and during that time, students haven’t changed how they use alcohol or drugs, he said.
The vice president and two students agreed: Compared to other universities, VCU isn’t much of a party school. Earlier this year, freshman Adam Oakes died of alcohol poisoning at a fraternity party, and 11 fraternity members were charged with hazing.
