Board of Visitors yields to outside interests, not students

House Editorial

The Board of Visitors decided in a 10-1 vote to allow the University Health Center to reinstitute its policy of selling emergency contraceptive pills during its meeting last Friday.

The practice, which had been going on for the past eight years, was ended abruptly April 18, 2003, when the board determined it was not appropriate for the university to distribute the pills.

The debate leading up to the April decision, which was in effect for nine months, was brought about by a March 19, 2003, letter from Virginia Del. Robert Marshall to JMU President Linwood Rose strongly urging that JMU discontinue the distribution of ECPs.

The motion to change the Health Center's policy and restrict it to providing prescriptions for the ECPs to be filled off campus was brought to the board by former board member Mark Obenshain and also after additional pressure from Marshall.

The decision was a blatant example of outside interests influencing the decision-making process on an issue of JMU concern. Marshall, incapable of convincing legislators in Richmond to tighten abortion policies, chose to use JMU as a battleground to wage his political warfare.

After making its decision in April, the board met again in June and October. In each of these meetings, the board decided not to discuss the issue and instead push it to the next meeting.

Between its meeting last October and its Jan. 9 meeting, a development shed new light on the debate.

In December, the advisers for the Food and Drug Administration voted to recommend to the FDA for final review that ECP be made available over the counter. The FDA has yet to come to a decision on the issue.

In the January meeting, the board realized that it had made a mistake and the pill should be readily available.

It is not at all surprising, after recalling the influence that Marshall had over the board, that the FDA decision also would play a role in the board's decisions.

After hearing of the FDA's recent approval, the board, which had put off a vote for nine months, quickly made the decision that contradicted its earlier one, furthermore adding to the perception of the board as nothing more than the pawn of outside interests.

In April, Marshall was able to convince the board that it was committing a serious social infraction by allowing the ECP to be distributed.

In the April 24 issue of The Breeze, Marshall was said to have compared having the pill available to students as senseless as having the Health Center offer body piercings.

The FDA would have made JMU appear behind the times and excessively conservative if ECPs were declared to be an over-the-counter drug. In order to avoid being politically incorrect for the second time in the less than a year, the board decided to repeal its previous decree.

It is the source of much unease that the board shows little regard for the student body and so much reverence for outside interests to the tune of being politically correct.

On issues that affect students, the board needs to do a better job of concerning itself with the interests of the student body and to stop allowing itself to be the puppet of those outside the JMU community.

Despite the board's lack of consideration for the interest of the student body, the Student Government Association, through persistence from junior Krissy Schnebel, worked diligently throughout the school year to raise public awareness about ECPs.

The SGA rallied to gain student support and refused to allow the board to sweep the issue under the carpet.

It has been a remarkable story of perseverance over formidable odds.