Petition circulated for student’s future readmission to U. after incarceration for drug offenses

A petition has been circulating through University email listservs asking students to support a student's readmission into the University after his prison sentence as of last week.

The University’s Department of Public SafetyarrestedJulian Edgrenin January for drug possession and distribution, after he was found to have picked up a package from the campus mailroom that contained seven grams of ecstasy. He was charged with 13 counts of possession and intent to distribute controlled substances and prescription drugs.

Edgren pleaded guilty to all of the charges in July and wassentencedto five years in jail in September.

Lucia Perasso ’16, outgoing president of Terrace Club, began circulating the petition to the members of Terraceon Wednesday. Edgren had previously been a member of the club.

Perasso declined to comment, saying that given the sensitivity of the issue and out of respect for Edgren’s family, she does not feel comfortable commenting.

Students who have been distributing the petition to various listservs have declined to comment.

University Media Relations Specialist Min Pullan said that although she can’t comment on an individual’s case, the University adjudicates alleged violations in accordance with the policies and guidelines outlined in “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities,” irrespective of what violations of the law might have occurred or the consequences that might follow from those violations.

“Petitions from others are not a factor in determining findings of responsibilities or in assigning penalties for violations of University policy,” she said.

The University Policy Concerning Use of Illegal Drugs as detailed in “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities” states that penalties for these acts will be administered by the appropriate offices, which in the case of an undergraduate would fall on the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students.

The policy does not specify that cases of arrest would lead to immediate expulsion, but notes that the penalty would range depending on the degree to which violation of the policy adversely affects the well-being of the community or the fulfillment of the University’s educational mission.

Additionally, it states that the association of the University with the violator of the policy could be made contingent upon satisfactory participation in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program.

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Pullan added that Edgren is currently not enrolled in the University.

Abby Lissanu ’16, who did not sign the petition, said that she cannot judge whether the student should be admitted back into the University because she does not know him personally.

“In general I would say I’m pretty pro-forgiveness, especially in regards to the criminal justice system in the United States. However, there’s something to be said about someone who is trafficking very expensive and hard drugs, with the intent to sell. That is worrisome on Princeton’s campus,” she said.

Ian Kim ’19 said that, from what he understands of the situation, the crime that the student committed is less forgivable because while there is a less of a moral responsibility from using drugs, the cost of dealing drugs is that one is funding the drug war, to which there are human consequences.

The 2015 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report documents that there were 18 total cases of drug abuse violations associated with the University in 2014, both on and off campus, including internationally. Additionally, there were 28 cases of judicial referrals to the deans in relation to drug abuse violations.

When asked whether she thinks drug abuse is a big issue on campus, Lissanu said that she was surprised to find that there was “an underground culture of drug dealing.” However, she noted that this reflects the overall drug problem nationwide.

“There is a drug culture [at the University], but I don’t think that there’s a difference between Princeton and any other comparable school,” she said.

Kim noted that this issue was different from whether a prior criminal incarceration should affect a prospective student’s admission into the University.

“It’s a particular crime. This was not the case of a kid in a disadvantaged situation facing police prejudice, or having made a mistake of his youth. We expect Princeton students to be educated and responsible for themselves when entering adulthood,” Kim said.

Sylvia Okafor ’18 said that she thinks the University tries to stray away from controversy and would not let Edgren return.

“Because it was such a spectacle that he got arrested and convicted and was in jail, I feel like they’re not going to let him back in, no matter who signs the petition,” she said.