A majority of students voted "yes" on a referendum question to reduce Penn State's marijuana disciplinary policy. I thank everyone involved: the Penn State NORML and Student First Step members who drafted the referendum and collected signatures, the USG Senators who voted 23-1-1 to include it on the ballot, the student groups who lobbied behind us and especially the students who voted their consciences.

Across the nation, the tide is turning in the war against marijuana users, with students becoming involved at a more rapid pace than ever before. U. Magazine recently ran a story about the return of this social movement. The Daily Collegian, however, lags far behind.

It's not that the Collegian never mentions marijuana -- when an anti-war group held a demonstration last month, the Collegian quoted an unnamed source as saying "(they) were all probably too stoned. . ." But let's just say that if you ever want to call a press conference and be assured your call will not be returned, just introduce yourself as a member of Penn State NORML.

On election night, our efforts paid off -- we won! I granted a lengthy interview to a Collegian reporter, explaining the implications of the election results on the nation's universities and on future Penn State students. The students who looked at the facts and voted, realized that the marijuana policy was in desparate need of reform.

The next day, the Collegian reported nothing more than "Students favored amending University policy for students convicted of first-time marijuana possession or drug paraphernalia possession." Period.

Why? Would it have cut into the front page 26-paragraph article on male strippers who performed at the Happy Valley Brewery? Couldn't the hottest referendum in Penn State history have been given at least two paragraphs? I am appalled by the intolerance of the local news media. When Don Fiedler, national director of NORML speaks at 7 next Tuesday night in 111 Wartick, I insist that we receive fair, unbiased coverage by the local media, and we will settle for nothing less.