Syracuse University to hold Community

Syracuse University to hold CommunityOctober 21, 2003Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Syracuse University will host a Community Education Forum on Ecstasy and Predatory Drugs on Oct. 23 from 7-9 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. The event is co-sponsored by the SU Chancellor’s Commission on Substance Abuse Prevention and Campus Security and the Syracuse Area College Community Coalition, in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) Operation X-Out.

Operation X-Out is a national campaign designed to bring public attention to the threats posed by the proliferation of Ecstasy and predatory club drugs. Events around the nation have been organized by the DEA in conjunction with local partnerships from the fields of education, public administration, business, civic leaders and local law enforcement.

Laura Madelone, director of SU’s Office of Off-Campus Student Services, says the forum is designed to inform participants on the dangers of Ecstasy and other predatory drugs. “We are working with the DEA’s Operation X-Out initiative because our goal is to minimize the potentially devastating effects of these drugs,” she says.

Although the actual number of students using Ecstasy and other club drugs remains relatively low at about 5 percent, recent surveys indicate use is rising. Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs, sees the forum as an opportunity to talk about the increased use and negative consequences associated with the growing use of Ecstasy in the Syracuse area. “Too many of our young people see no harm in experimenting with Ecstasy and other club drugs,” he says. “The harmless reputation of these drugs isn’t based in reality.”

The forum will include a panel discussion featuring Onondaga County Executive Nicholas Pirro; Anthony Placito of the DEA; Anthony Adornato, a reporter and anchor with WSTM-TV Channel 3; U.S. Attorney Glenn T. Suddaby; Dr. Ronald Dougherty, director of medical services at Tully Hill and Pelion rehabilitation centers; Dessa Bergen-Cico, associate dean of students at SU; and representatives from Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

The forum will begin with a welcome from Wells and will be followed by brief remarks from other officials. Participants will be given an overview identifying the drugs in question; their origins of manufacture, prevalent smuggling routes, and target customer base. Dougherty will discuss the medical implications of the use and abuse of these drugs. There will also be a presentation about drug use information on the World Wide Web. The second half of the forum will include a question and answer session. Questions can be submitted prior to the forum by e-mailing lmmadelo@syr.edu.

The forum is designed for college students, high school students, parents, counselors, educators, faculty, staff, law enforcement officials and members of the community.