Drug-Free Campus

Purpose and Scope of Policy

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) is committed to providing a safe, healthy, and productive learning and working environment. Consistent with this commitment and its obligations under applicable law, KGI has adopted this policy.

Students who are also KGI employees will be subject to this policy and Drug-free Campus and Workplace Policy (POLICY 140). KGI students are also subject to KGI’s Student Use of Alcoholic Beverages On and Off Campus Policy (POLICY 341).

Prohibitions

KGI prohibits the unlawful manufacture, possession, distribution, dispensation, sale, transportation, offer to sell, promotion, purchase, and/or use of drugs (including marijuana) and alcohol on KGI-owned or controlled property (“KGI property”); at KGIsponsored/ sanctioned activities and events; and while conducting or performing KGI-related business, regardless of location.

Additionally, any and all types of drug paraphernalia, including but not limited to bongs, pipes, hookahs, water pipes, or any items modified or adopted so that they can be used to consume drugs, are not permitted on KGI property. Any such drug paraphernalia found on KGI property will be confiscated.

Students shall not report for class, lab, clinic, or experiential sites under the influence of any drug, alcohol, or substance that will impair their performance, alertness, coordination, or response, or affect the safety of others.

Nothing in this policy, however, is meant to prohibit the appropriate use of over-the-counter medication or other medication that can legally be prescribed under both federal and state law, to the extent that such use does not impair one’s performance or affect the safety of others.

This policy does not prohibit the responsible consumption of alcohol by students over 21 at KGI-sponsored/sanctioned activities and events where alcohol is served, or at social, business, or professional events that KGI students attend in their capacity as such or to perform work for KGI. The consumption of alcohol by students at KGI-sponsored/sanctioned activities or events is governed by KGI’s Policy on Student Use of Alcoholic Beverages On and Off Campus (POLICY 341).

The consumption of alcohol by KGI students under twenty-one (21) years old on KGI’s campus or at KGI-sponsored/sanctioned activities or events is strictly prohibited.

Federal, California, and local laws establish severe penalties for violations of drug and alcohol statutes. These sanctions, upon conviction, may range from a fine to life imprisonment. In the case of possession and distribution of illegal drugs, these sanctions could include the seizure and summary forfeiture of property, including vehicles. It is especially important to know that recent federal laws have increased the penalties for illegally distributing drugs to include life imprisonment and fines in excess of $1,000,000.

Some examples of these laws include:

• Unlawful possession of any controlled substance is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison.
• The purchase, possession, or consumption of any alcoholic beverages (including beer and wine) by any person under the age of 21 is prohibited.
• It is unlawful to provide alcohol to a person under the age of 21.
• Selling or serving alcohol to an intoxicated person is prohibited.
• Any person found in a public place to be under the influence of an intoxicating liquor or drug and unable to care for their own safety or interfering with the use of a public way is guilty of disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor.
• Possession of an alcoholic beverage in an open container in a motor vehicle or on a bicycle is unlawful, regardless of who is driving or whether one is intoxicated.
• Driving a motor vehicle or bicycle while under the influence of alcohol is unlawful.

KGI Sanctions

Students who are found to be in violation of KGI’s alcohol and/or drug policies will face disciplinary action up to and including expulsion for students, and/or referral for legal prosecution in accordance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Disciplinary sanctions may also include completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program.

Financial Aid

A student will be ineligible for financial aid (e.g., federal grants, loans, work-study, fellowships, and/or scholarships) if the student is convicted of an offense under federal or state law involving possession or sale of a controlled substance, provided the conduct occurred while the student was enrolled and receiving financial aid. Ineligibility will run from the date of conviction for the following periods of time:

• • For possession of illegal drugs: a first offense carries a oneyear disqualification, a second offense carries a two-year disqualification, and a third offense makes the student ineligible indefinitely.
• • For sale of illegal drugs: a first offense carries a two-year disqualification, and a second offense makes the student ineligible indefinitely. A student can regain eligibility by successfully completing an approved drug rehabilitation program.

Licensure

A federal or state drug conviction can also disqualify a student from obtaining an intern or pharmacist license, as well as a physician assistant license. A student’s inability to obtain an intern license will result in termination from the PharmD program. This is not applicable to Genetics students.

Available Resources, Education, and Assistance with Respect to Substance Abuse

KGI is committed to education and counseling as the primary focus of its substance abuse program and will provide confidential, professional assistance for any students who want it.

Students are urged to seek information and help regarding substance abuse for themselves or their friends. A variety of services including counseling, educational materials, and/or referral are available at the following offices as a part of the overall Claremont Colleges’ program.

• Monsour Counseling Center— Tranquada Student Services Center, 757 College Way, 909.621.8202
• Student Health Services—Tranquada Student Services Center, 757 College Way, 909.621.8222 and after-hours, 909.607.2000
• KGI Division of Student Affairs—Building 517, by KGI Café

For more information, contact the Division of Student Affairs at 909.607.0435. To protect students’ privacy, information regarding a student during participation in any related program will be treated confidentially.

Ineligibility for Title IV Financial Aid After Drug Conviction

The below table shows the period of ineligibility for Title IV aid, depending on whether the conviction was for sale or possession and whether the student had previous offenses. A conviction for sale of drugs includes a conviction for conspiring to sell drugs.

REGAINING TITLE IV ELIGIBILITY AFTER A CONVICTION FOR POSSESSION OR SALE OF DRUGS

Students who are convicted of possession or sale of drugs may regain eligibility for Title IV funds in a number of ways.

• A student automatically regains eligibility the day after the period of ineligibility ends. Use the Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet for FAFSA Question 23 to determine when your period of ineligibility will end. Contact the Division of Student Affairs for a copy of this worksheet.
• A student may also regain eligibility for Title IV funds when they successfully complete a qualified drug rehabilitation program. An acceptable drug rehabilitation program must include at least two unannounced drug tests, and:
  • Be qualified to receive funds from a federal, state, or local government or from a federally or state-licensed insurance company; or
  • administered or recognized by a federal, state, or local government agency or court, or a federally or state-licensed hospital, health clinic, or medical doctor
• Students denied eligibility for an indefinite period can regain eligibility for Title IV funds only after successfully completing a rehabilitation program. It is the student’s responsibility to certify they have successfully completed an acceptable rehabilitation program.