The QC, Vol. 95, No. 06 • October 9, 2008

              LA. COLLEGE NIGHT
Blast or bust?— 10;
'xM
Whittier   College
UAKER
AMPUS
CANNABIS CLUB CARDS:
Are pot cards too easily obtained?— 4
HOT CAMPING:
Take a look at a club's trip
to the hot springs — 10
RUGBY CLUB FUNDED:
Take a look at one of the
school's newest clubs — 16
VolurrteXCV - Issue 6
www.quakercampus.org
October 9, 2008
Cannabis club
card debate
Taylor Chin
EDITOR IN CHIEF
During the month of
November in 1996,
California passed the
Compassionate UseActto become
the first state to legalize medical
marijuana for use. As an extension
of the act, in 2003, the Medical Marijuana Program allowed patients
to apply for a Medical Marijuana
Identification Card.
These cards provide a legal, safe and
accessible way to obtain marijuana, and
even though only6.3percentof Whittier
College students have Medical Marijuana
Cards, the number of people that are
able to use and possess marijuana legally
is growing.
While the cards are designed to be
used, accordingto the California Department of Health, for "serious medical
conditions," the cards are also abused
for other uses.
Obtaining the  Card—It's Too
Easy
The process of obtaining a Medical
Marijuana Identification Card, which is
also known as a Cannabis Club Card,
is fairly simple. While some doctors
carefully screen who they recommend
for a card, others are more lenient and
are willing to recommend a medical
marijuana card for patients who would
otherwise be unable to obtain a card
elsewhere.
"Every doctor is different.. .My first
doctor I called wanted my records from
another doctor stating that I had the
problem that I said I had, and it had
to be within a certain time period," an
anonymous Whittier College Medical
Marijuana Card holding student said.
"I had to have my records from within
a year that documented that I had that
problem... that was going to be a hassle
because I had it within the past two
years, so I shopped around and found
a guy that would do it by me showing
him any old doctor's records saying that
I had something and supporting that
with a story."
Accordingto the anonymous student,
the process mainly consists of making
an appointment, filling out paperwork,
providing proper documentation and
answering questions like why you need
WHaC and Turner mingle
Results are compiled from a random e-mail
survey of 252 Whitier College students.
Director of Residential Life Delaphine Hudson serves
the Poet community at the WHaC community day that
took place Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Seepage 9 for more information
marijuana and if you have tried other
treatments that would do the same
thing. After that, a fee ranging from
$100 to $300 is usually paid to receive
the doctor's recommendation.
"If you're a good liar, anyone can get
one," the anonymous student, who has
had their card for over a year, said.
The ease of obtaining a card has
been a cause for concern for adrnin-
istrators.
"My concern as an administrator is
the ease of which students can get these
cards," Associate Dean of Students
Andre Coleman said. "The doctors are
handing out these medical marijuana
card prescriptions like free candy."
With seven physicians that provide
consultations and recommendations,
nccovSmgtoiuvw.medicakannabiscaregivers.
~ see CANNABIS, pages 4-5
Poets take political lead
Neal Behrendt
NEWS EDITOR
Two poets arc busy making their marks
on American politics. Sophomore Ben
Seinfeld has been volunteering on a
congressional campaign and Whittier
graduate Rob Ortega is running for the
La Habra City Council.
Seinfeld, a political science major, began working on the campaign trail at the
beginning of last summer. He volunteers
for Russ Warner, a congressional candidate from California's 26th district.
When he joined the campaign, Seinfeld
was a volunteer for canvassing.
Although he still canvasses every
weekend, Seinfeld has now assumed a
few more positions of trust and responsibility. Seinfeld currently is a volunteer
coordinator, a job that requires him to
direct volunteers in canvassing or
phone banking, as well as a field intern
following the campaign closely.
"Slowly but surely you can work your
way up within the campaign," Seinfeld
said. "Working for Russ Warner's campaign I feel like I've really learned the
fundamentals of campaigns. I still don't
make decisions, but when the decisions
get made, I make them happen."
Seinfeld has acquired some experience
on the political trail. A recent example
is a town hall meeting that he had to
coordinate, logistically allowing Warner
to address his constituents.
Seinfeld has aspirations beyond the
campaign trail. "This is just the beginning," Seinfeld said. "Russ Warner is
not a career politician, which means that
if he gets elected then he will want to
surround himself with his staff whom
see POLITICS, page 4
Student loans in danger
Shelly Converse-Rath
STAFF WRITER
Last week, Americans
witnessed the largest one-day
point drop in the country's
economy since 2001, which
was accompanied by the
bankruptcies of global financial firm Lehman Brothers
and banking company Washington Mutual. But what
are the implications of the
financial crisis for students?
For those who have private
loans or anticipate taking out
private loans, the effects of
America's unsteady economy-
could be detrimental to their
financial and educational
future.
According to The College
Board, in 2006-2007, 24
percent of the $77 billion in
education loans came from
private and state sources- up
drastically from a mere seven
percent of $38 billion a decade earlier. Vincent Quan of
The Daily Californian says,
"The banking scare this week
may force more institutions
to rescind private student
loans in the future, but some
experts said this year's credit
crunch has already greatly
affected students."
In fact, as of August 2007,
33 lenders, which include
Wachovia Education Finance
and the Bank of America,
have stopped issuing private loans, due primarily
to a shortage of money to
lend out.
For those companies that
continue to lend private
loans, such as Sallie Mae,
students can expect credit
conditions and requirements to be stricter; banks
will most likely demand a
higher upfront fee or the
requirement of a co-signer.
Sallie Mae, as well as several
other lenders, has become
increasingly selective even
in the past few years.
Sophomore Cassie Duray-
Bito recalls, "I remember
trying to find a private loan to
cover the rest of my tuition,
and it was pretty frustrating. I had to cosign with my
see LOANS, page 4
Events
10/9      The Whittier Challenge - First Annual
Whittier College Debate.
10/11     Know Your Heritage: Hispanic Col
lege Quiz Show.
NDEX
News — 1,4-6
Opinions — 2-3
Sports •
Campus Life — 7-10
A&E—11-13
14-16
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