Georgetown Universityā€™s Newspaper of Record since 1920

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Georgetown Universityā€™s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Universityā€™s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Outdoor Drinking Trial Run Begins

CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA Students of legal age will now be permitted to consume wine and beer outside in the grill area of Henle Village as part of a pilot program beginning today.
CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA
Students of legal age will now be permitted to consume wine and beer outside in the grill area of Henle Village as part of a pilot program beginning today.

Students of legal age will now be permitted to consume wine and beer outside in specific areas of Village A and HenleĀ Village as part of a pilot program beginning today.

The Outdoor Student Living Pilot Program, which originated from Georgetown Community Partnership discussions in June, was implemented after summer negotiations among the Georgetown University Student Association, Residential Living and the Department of Public Safety. The policy goes into effect immediately.

According to Director of Residential Education EdĀ GilhoolandĀ DPSĀ Chief of Police JayĀ Gruber, students will be able to drink from open containers in groups of fewer than 15 people in the barbecue areas of Village A andĀ Henle. Student can drink outdoors at any time of the day as long as they abide by noise restrictions during quiet hours. There is no campus-wide open container policy, and the pilot program is limited to these two areas.

The success of the pilot program will be assessed by the end of the fall semester and again at the end of the year, at which point decisions will be made about extending the program to areas including the Alumni Square courtyard, the Southwest Quad lawn and theĀ LXRĀ courtyard. Assessment will be based on the number of incidents of noise complaints, underage alcoholĀ consumptionsĀ and the frequency ofDPSĀ intervention

ā€œIn this pilot, no news is good news,ā€Ā GruberĀ said.

Gruber, who has supported the implementation of the pilot program, said thatĀ DPSĀ would intervene only if students were not abiding by the designated rules.Ā DPSĀ officers will not ask for proof of age unless there is a disturbance.

ā€œThe intent is that if they are going by the spirit and letter of the policy, weā€™re not going to approach them, weā€™re going to sort of ignore them,ā€Ā GruberĀ said. ā€œBut once they bring attention to themselves, we have to intervene and interact, then people who are underage could get sanctioned for possession of alcohol under the age of 21.ā€

Although beer and wine will be permitted outdoors,Ā GruberĀ said that kegs are not within the limits of the pilot program.

ā€œIf weā€™re looking at 10 to 12 people, a keg is overkill,ā€ he said. ā€œIt invites that party feel and party atmosphere, which is different from bringing a couple of six-packs or a case shared by a small group of people.ā€

The same reasoning was behind the decision not to permit liquor as part of the pilot program.

In April, the university lifted the one-keg limit for on-campus parties to promote on-campus socializing. Last August, the party registration system, which required students holding on-campus parties to inform the university in advance, was abolished. Students were already permitted to drink outside on Village A rooftops.

ā€œWeā€™ve had a series of policy changes regarding alcohol in the past few years,ā€Ā GilhoolĀ said. ā€œEach time, weā€™ve seen the students take those changes seriously and be very mindful of the opportunities to have more socializing on campus and prove in time again that these types of initiatives and us looking at policies a little differently can be really successful on campus and enhance the student experience.ā€

GUSAĀ President NateĀ TisaĀ (SFSĀ ā€™14) said he was confident that the pilot would be successful.

ā€œIf you give students more control over their lives, itā€™s a privilege but also a responsibility. We think students are up to the challenge,ā€Ā TisaĀ said.

GUSAĀ Vice President Adam Ramadan (SFSĀ ā€™14) emphasized that the goal of the pilot program is to make on-campus housing as appealing an option as off-campus housing.

ā€œOn campus, the sense of ownership stops as soon as you leave your door, whereas in an off-campus apartment, your backyard and driveway is your living space,ā€ Ramadan said. ā€œWhat students can do in their off-campus private space, we want to extend it on campus.ā€

GruberĀ said the program has the potential to benefit everyone involved, including the neighborhood community, students andĀ DPS. ā€œWeā€™ll hopefully have less large parties that weā€™ll have to respond to. Upperclassmen who are of age will have an opportunity to use alcohol in a responsible way and wonā€™t have to be in a situation where the drinking light is on or the drinking light is off.ā€

Although they cited the central goal as making socializing more appealing on campus, bothĀ GruberĀ and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson said there was not a direct connection between the pilot program and the 2010 Campus Plan agreement, which mandated drawing social life to campus and away from residential neighborhoods.

ā€œItā€™s not just about the campus plan. The fact that it juxtaposes with the campus plan, I think is a win-win,ā€ Olson said. ā€œI believe this is an element of that agreement that very much listens to and responds to student interests and student concerns.ā€

TisaĀ said that the campus plan was still a vital component when discussing the policy changes of the past year. This year, the Office of Residence Life will meet withĀ InterHallĀ to discuss the possibility of decreasing quiet hours.

ā€œIf you look in the campus agreement itself, one of the clauses weā€™ve really latched onto is you have to equalize policy on campus and off campus,ā€ he said. ā€œIt should [be] equally, if not more, attractive to socialize on campus.ā€

This particular policy change comes in time for the long weekend.

ā€œHappy Labor Day, I guess,ā€Ā TisaĀ said.

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