Two students were arrested last Friday as a part of the city of Troy’s new Operation “Spring Cleanup 2004,” which is focused on improving quality of life in the city through aggressive policing. The students were members of Theta Xi, commonly known as “Zoo,” and were found to be in possession of significant quantities of both marijuana and LSD, along with considerable paraphernalia and other substances that may be identified in lab experiments, according to Dean of Students Mark Smith. The students, senior Douglas Schaffer and junior Michael Whelihan, were arrested on charges of possession and drug trafficking on Friday, April 16.
“The intent of all this is that we have a zero tolerance for drug activity,” Smith said. “When we hear that it is occurring, we will use whatever resources we have to end it.”
Smith said that his office was first made aware of the activity in late February, and Public Safety began to investigate the matter, but found that the scope of it was beyond what they were equipped to deal with, and passed the case off to Troy Police. Following the arrests, the Institute judicial process began reviewing the case of the students.
The arrests have now been included in Troy’s release of the advances made during the special operation, which was aimed at stopping crime that “directly impacts the quality of life within the City of Troy,” according to the press release. The behavior that they are concentrating on includes prostitution, gang activity, loitering, narcotics possession, and underage alcohol consumption. The agencies involved are from multiple levels of government, including county, local, and state officials from multiple areas such as Rensselaer, Albany, and Saratoga counties.
Smith said that he hoped to have the matter decided before the summer, but said that it would be concluded when they had the necessary information to fairly finish the judicial process.
Theta Xi declined to comment on the arrests.
Smith emphasized that it was especially necessary to deal with incidents of dealing drugs on campus because of the amount of side effects that are associated with it.
“It would not surprise me if there was a connection to the assault on Sherry Road, and the number of break-ins” of late, Smith said, but admitted that he had no evidence to support that conclusion. “When this type of activity occurs, there are other things that come with it,” he continued. Two students were robbed earlier this month on Sherry Road, which runs past the Theta Xi house. No suspects have been arrested in the case, but the investigation is still continuing.
“It’s sad when individuals who have invested significant dollars in their education have to face this type of situation,” Smith said, but continued that both Schaffer and Whelihan “had choices, and they made their choices, and they will have to deal with the consequences of those choices.”
At this time, the Dean of Students Office is investigating whether to pursue judicial action against the chapter or not, and will have to determine the role played by the rest of the house. Smith said, “There will be a full investigation of both aspects: chapter and the individuals.”
