preo12

Hi, last night my hall Residence Assistant smelled marijuana in my room. He conducted a search but he found nothing. However, he said that there was still probable cause that I smoked marijuana in the room and he referred me to the school's judicial coordinator. Should I plead guilty? Should I tell them the truth that I had marijuana even though they didn't find it?

CollectivSynergy

Smoking pot in your dorm is dumb as all hell.

ladeeda6

If he didn't find anything, I wouldn't. How could he process that the smell wasn't coming from elsewhere on the floor?

b@r!um

What's the standard of evidence in your school's internal judicial process?

If the standard is "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt", I wouldn't confess if the only thing they have against you is the word of your RA. Just how reliable is his sense of smell and his knowledge of air circulation in the dorms?

If the standard is "more likely than not", it's more likely that you'd be convicted. In that case, a confession might pay off with a more lenient punishment.

RacinReaver

I don't know if I'd even confess with "more likely than not" depending on your dorm. I had a room in one of the dorms that would smell like weed at least once a week when some people would decide to smoke at the bottom of the fire escape ladder, and it would just get blown straight into my room (all the way up on the fourth floor =\).

steellord321

My advice is get a filter and open the window.

Ricky93

This is an obvious no-brainer: Play dumb.

If he didn't find anything, then your RA has no evidence against you. It could have came from anywhere; the air circulation from the vents/windows, whatever.

Just don't smoke it in your dorm again. That's just stupid.

reesezpiecez103

I'll agree with the majority here - open your windows and filter the smell out of the rest of your room, and play dumb. He can't prove it if he didn't find it; that's ridiculous. Say you didn't have it and they can't reasonably punish you...and for god's sake, don't smoke in your dorm room.

Wolverine86

preo12...Looking back at your previous posts, this isn't the first time you've been caught smoking weed and won't be the first time you're looking for justification to lie about it. You're certainly not alone in either category, so we'll forego any legal/ethical opinions. But if you can't even work up the energy to walk outside your dorm to spark one up...seriously? You feed the stereotype that smoking dope makes people lazy. If you don't want to give up your hobby, maybe consider transferring to a school in Washington or Colorado. After this last election, they may be more "herbally inclined" to suit your needs.

eurekameh

I was given to believe that smoking outside is just as risky because you're exposing yourself to any police officers on patrol.

tetrahedr0n

Sounds like you have no idea what "probable cause" means. Probable cause is a term that applies to law enforcement officials and allows them to search your possessions without a warrant.

"Probable cause" doesn't apply to your RA. Even if it did, it's meaningless, since he already has the right to search your room - and did! "Probable cause" has absolutely nothing to do with indictments. I don't understand how you're being "indicted" either. This is something done by a court of law. So far your RA has suspicions, but no evidence. He can't charge you with a crime, so you cannot be indicted in any way. And what exactly are you pleading guilty to? Have you been formally charged by anyone? The whole story makes no sense.

charlieschm

Be very careful about any criminal drug conviction, which can make you ineligible for federal financial aid and federal loans. If it is just a college disciplinary action, without any criminal charges, it is not so bad - probably community service hours.

Stressn

Telling the OP to "play dumb" really is a more pleasant way of advising you to lie. Consider taking responsibility instead.