SMU has announced the membership of a drug task force created in the wake of three drug-and alcohol-related deaths this past school year.

The Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention is composed of 18 faculty, staff and student members. They have until December 2007 to make recommendations to President R. Gerald Turner.

Dean of Student Life Dee Siscoe and Associate Provost Tom Tunks are the co-chairs of the committee. Turner wanted a representative from the academic side and student affairs side to emphasize the fact that the drug issue is one that affects all parts of the university.

Siscoe said this spring was a difficult one for the university, but hoped the task force could produce something so that future incidents could be avoided.

Various administrators, including Siscoe and Tunks, recommended task force members but Turner ultimately made the final call on who would be on the task force.

But critics say the task force is filled with members who represent groups that could potentially suffer consequences if any bad information is discovered.

Siscoe said Turner would not have selected someone to the task force unless he thought they could fully investigate the incidents from the past school year. She said there is no agenda to do anything other than to examine what has happened with drugs at SMU.

“On the flip side of that, who better knows what’s going on in that community then those people,” Siscoe said.

The task force will review existing programs, academic scheduling, attendance policies and regulations regarding residence halls and Greek housing. It will also examine national trends in behavior and substance abuse.

“Although putting one’s welfare at risk is ultimately a decision by the individual, and students expect to be treated as adults,” Turner said in a prepared release, “we as a university are committed to doing all that we can to encourage good decision-making, to help students if they err and to adjudicate those who continue to transgress.”

During the first meeting in mid-June, the task force did not address specific issues. Instead the meeting was organizational in nature, with discussions focused on what materials would be needed and who would be best to talk with regarding the problems on campus.

Siscoe said the task force would likely host focus groups with different communities on and off campus. She mentioned the possibility of a parent focus group to make sure their input was a part of the process. Some student groups mentioned included Greeks, first-years and athletes.

For the full list of the task force members, turn to page A3.