Tag: chapter leader

As many of you know, I have been a member of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy national staff for the past four years, currently serving as Deputy Director. But my involvement with SSDP started much before that (I went to my first UMD SSDP chapter meeting in August 2005) while I was an undergrad at the University of Maryland.

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Hi again SSDP rockstars! We hope you are all enjoying your summer! Here is another installment of our monthly chapter leaders newsletter to keep you in the loop about what’s new and on the horizon for Students for Sensible Drug Policy. 2013 Federal Marijuana Lobby Day This past June, SSDP students from across the country came to Washington, D.C. to

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Hi again SSDP rockstars! Here is what’s new and on the horizon for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.   Leadership transition resources   It’s almost the end of the Spring semester, which for a lot of people means you’ll be moving on to new things. Whether that move is into a new chapter officer position, or walking across the stage

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Hi there SSDP rockstars, Happy Spring! As promised, here is what’s new and on the horizon for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.   Take action CA: Help Reform Drug Possession Penalties in California NY: Support Medical Marijuana Legislation in New York CT: Support Good Samaritan Policies on School Campuses in Connecticut MO: Pass a Good Samaritan Policy in Missouri MA: Help Legalize Marijuana in Massachusetts

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Hi there SSDP rockstars! Can you believe it’s March already?  As promised, here is what’s new and on the horizon for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.   Take action Pass a Good Samaritan Policy in Missouri Pass a Good Samaritan Policy in New Hampshire Legalize Marijuana in Oregon Legalize Marijuana in Massachusetts Legalize Marijuana in Rhode Island Legalize Marijuana in

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SSDP Chapter Leaders Newsletter February 2013 Hi there SSDP rockstars! We hope your chapters are off to a great start this semester. It’s looking to be quite a busy time for drug policy reform this winter. In addition to everything we’ve listed below, we wanted to let you in on some insider news… Next week, we will have some very

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Hi there SSDP rockstars! As we start the new year, we’re proud to bring to you the first ever SSDP chapter leaders newsletter.  From now on each month, we’ll send out a message like this that includes recent blog posts, new resources, upcoming events (online and offline), and other items of interest to SSDPers such as yourself. The idea is

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This week, SSDP gained another chapter in the Wolverine State, at Eastern Michigan University! EMU SSDP is one of three chapters in Michigan, and they are working to bring a Lowest Law Enforcement Priority policy to their community. I was able to catch up with Luisa Scavo, EMU SSDP chapter president, and this is what she had to say about

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UM Ann Arbor SSDP Excutive Board Members Clockwise from top left: Nick, Jacob Fromm, Sebastian Swae-Shampine Sahana Rajan, Emily Basham, and Murphy VanSparrentak.   Name: Nick Zettell School: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Chapter Position: President   SSDP: When did you first get involved with SSDP? Nick:My Freshman year I went to a mass meeting made some lifelong friends right then and there.

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Name: Romain Bonilla School: Portland State University Region: Western Major: Communications Romain Tabling for SSDP on Campus   SSDP: When did you first get involved with SSDP? Romain: In 2009, while I was studying at Saint Cloud State University. I had become interested in drug law reform when I first moved to the United States in 2008. SCSU had a few pro-liberty student groups,

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Name: Alfred Kilzi School: University of Miami (Class of 2013) Title: Chapter President and Founder Studying: Psychology Major with Minors in Marketing and Arabic Studies SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? ALFRED: I had an epiphany one day when talking to a former staff member that worked in the same academic department as I did for my Work Study part

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Name: Melissa Colebank   School: College of Charleston   Position: Chapter President 2011-2012   Studying: Communication, Corporate and Organizational Concentration/American Studies minor   SSDP: When did you first get involved with SSDP?     MELISSA: I became involved with SSDP when Kat Humphries (former President and chapter founder) attended the International SSDP Conference in San Francisco in 2010 and wanted to start the chapter at CofC.

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What a summer it has been interning with SSDP in our DC office.  I’ve had more fun and gained more experience than I could imagine over these two months! Whether it was helping organize the DC Vigil for the Victims of the War on Drugs in front of the White House, or attending Press Conferences with drug policy experts and celebrities, or

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Brandon Levey Junior at the University of Maryland, College Park Co-President with Zach Brown at UMD SSDP (longest active chapter in SSDP history, and still going strong!) SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? LEVEY: I first got active in SSDP at the end of my first semester in college, in the spring semester of 2009. I looked through

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We’re proud to welcome new officially established SSDP chapters at Louisiana State University – Shreveport, University of Houston – Clear Lake, and University of Pittsburgh this week! Read more about each new group and the student leaders who founded them. Louisiana State University – Shreveport Shreveport, LA – Southern Region The LSUS Student News covered the newly created chapter, watch an excerpt of the video

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Basics: Name: Stefan Reed School: Northern Virginia Community College Studying: Art Education with a minor in Non-profit Management SSDP NOVA, Chapter President SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? Stefan: Fall ’09 after seeing a flyer on a TV at school. SSDP: What has been your favorite SSDP experience ? Stefan: Going to my first SSDP National Conference

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Sam Chapman has been involved with SSDP at the University of Oregon – Eugene since 2009. He’s helped to organize many successful events and led student organizing during Oregon’s Measure 74 campaign last fall. I asked Sam a few questions about his involvement in SSDP and here’s what he had to say: What was your experience working on the Measure

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Basics: Robert Pfountz SSDP State Coordinator for Arkansas Former President, University of Arkansas SSDP Major: Political Science Minor: Economics SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? Rob: The first SSDP event that I attended was to see Norm Stamper of LEAP speak on-campus at the University of Arkansas in 2008. I had always supported marijuana policy reform, but this event was

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With students going back to school, it’s certainly been a busy week for student drug policy reform! As administrators get back to work as well, two more SSDP chapters have gained official student group approval from their schools, and now we’re excited to welcome Tufts University and Utah State University to our chapter network. Tufts University Boston, MA (Northeast Region) Alex Baskin heard about SSDP in

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Basics: Name: Trevor Hosterman Position: Co-founder/President, WCU SSDP School: West Chester University Major: Political Science Location: West Chester, PA SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? Trevor: I first got involved with SSDP in the fall of 2009 when my cofounder, Josh Merer, and I decided we wanted to make a change on our campus and in our community

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Name: Hilary Dulin Title: Co-founder & President, NU SSDP School: Northeastern University, Class of 2011 Major: Behavioral Neuroscience SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? Hilary: I got involved in Fall of 2008 when I met Kevin Franciotti who was working on bringing SSDP to Northeastern. I became involved and helped to found the chapter. SSDP: What issues are

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Name: Nicholas Davies Chapter: Front Range Community College Location: Longmont, Colorado  When did you first get involved with SSDP and why do you like being part of the organization?  I was first introduced to SSDP during my second year in Student Government when I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow by the name of Christopher Pezza. After a few

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Basics: Drew Stromberg Founder and President West Virginia University SSDP SSDP: When did you 1st get involved with SSDP? Drew: I got involved during in the summer of 2009 when a friend of mine told me I should start a chapter at WVU. SSDP: What issues are important for your chapter? Drew: Good Samaritan Policy – We started working on

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Katharine: A few years ago, when I wasn’t even a student! I was taking time off from school for health reasons. I’d been interested in mental health advocacy since about 6th grade, but my experiences with some self-identifying addicts inspired my interest in drug policy reform more specifically. As stigmatized as I felt for my own struggles, I realized my

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