For the last five years, more than 20,000 people have converged on University of Colorado at Boulder's Norlin Quad for the annual 4/20 smoke-out. And each year, the school's administration issues a stern warning to students to not attend. Here's the letter, which was sent out yesterday.

TO: CU-Boulder students

SENDER: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

DATE: April 19, 2011

SUBJECT: Advisory on the 420 gathering on the CU-Boulder campus

Dear CU-Boulder students:

What you need to know about the 420 gathering at CU-Boulder:

• It is expensive to manage at a time when the University's funding is being cut back.

• It attracts many visitors to the campus to participate who have nothing to do with the University and frequently do not have its best interests at heart.

• It denigrates the value of your degree by helping to label CU-Boulder as a party school.

• It makes it difficult or impossible for some students and faculty to fulfill their mission here of learning and teaching.

• It not an effective act of civil disobedience and has largely become a party.

• Given these negative impacts on our University and campus, we ask you not
to attend.

What you also need to know about the 420 gathering:

• Police will focus on public safety, crowd and traffic flow, however:

• Please note that anyone using marijuana on campus on the day of the event can receive a citation pursuant to federal, state, and local laws.

• This includes using marijuana while going to or from the 420 event, using it in the direct presence of law enforcement officials anywhere on campus, or using it in residence halls or university buildings, which is expressly prohibited.

• In addition, CU students ticketed for marijuana use will face sanctions in the Office of Student Conduct that could, should such a citation mark a second drug or alcohol offense, subject those students to suspension from the university.

• Participants in 420 should be aware that officers will be looking for intoxicated individuals (alcohol and open containers are prohibited on campus), as well as for those causing a disturbance, and citations will be issued for these offenses as well.

Parking regulations on and off the campus will be strictly enforced, and those without a legitimate business interest at CU-Boulder will not be permitted to park on campus. Any vehicles not conforming to parking regulations will face ticketing and towing, whether on or off campus, and officers will have checkpoints set up throughout campus to enforce parking regulations and traffic flow. Boulder police will strictly enforce parking regulations on the Hill and other areas off campus.

Classes will be held on Wednesday on the normal schedule, and faculty have been advised to strictly adhere to their pre-arranged academic schedules. On the Norlin Quad, no commercial vendors of food or merchandise of any kind will be allowed. Permanent or semi-permanent structures such as tents, barbecue grills, slacklines or recreational equipment will not be permitted anywhere on campus. People climbing trees or other university structures will faces fines, citations and arrest. People with breathing conditions and adverse reactions to smoke should avoid the Norlin Quad area entirely on Wednesday afternoon if possible.

Again, the 420 gathering is an event the university inherits by virtue of maintaining an open campus. We do not endorse the gathering at any level, or welcome it in any way. If students wish to make a political statement about drug laws, the best way to do that is hold the protest elsewhere or contact your state or federal lawmakers. The best advice we have for you is to not participate in this event that disrupts the important work on campus, devalues your degree and the reputation of your university, and exposes you to the prospect of university discipline and an expensive fine.

Sincerely,

Frank Bruno, Vice chancellor for Administration
Julie Wong, Vice chancellor for Student Affairs

Indeed, UC-Boulder was named the No. 1 party school in America recently by Playboy.

Also see:
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About 420
4/20 Rally & Festival Guide
4/20 Concert Guide
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