Colleges want to play the "we are above the law" game and continue to scew with students over something that is less harmful than alcohol which they openly allow students to drink.

After the decriminalization of marijuana this summer, students at the state's four-year colleges face more lenient sanctions under the law if caught with a small amount pot, but they can expect unchanging disciplinary standards on campus.

The University of Connecticut and the Connecticut State University System will not change their judicial proceedings or possible sanctions for students caught with marijuana, even though state law made less than half an ounce a low-level offense starting July 1.

"It's still illegal," said Bernard Kavaler, the assistant vice chancellor for public affairs at the state university system.

UConn will continue to evaluate marijuana use based on its Student Code and Office of Community Standards, which was not changed to reflect the lessened criminal penalties, UConn spokesman Michael Kirk said.

According to the Student Code, possible sanctions for the possession or use of illegal drugs can result in university suspension. Kirk said suspension is not always the case, however. Community Standards evaluates each violation of the Student Code on a case-by-case basis.

"A number of different factors are considered, including whether or not a student was cooperative, the student's knowledge and forethought involved in committing the violations; the student's prior conduct history UConn; whether there were multiple violations that create a cumulative effect; and the severity of the violation, among other things," Kirk said in an e-mail. "So there is no one-size-fits-all sanction."

Many colleges and universities follow their own administrative processes, not modeled after the typical criminal/court process, in determining student violations and subsequent disciplinary action. UConn, for example, doesn't factor a student's criminal behavior into their administrative processes when evaluating a student violation. UConn's Community Standards website for frequently asked questions about the Student Code reads, "The criminal process focuses on violations of the law. The University's process focuses on violations of the University of Connecticut's community standards."