Two years after the university enacted policies making it easier for students to throw parties on campus, officials may soon approve rules banning kegs on campus and enforcing stricter parental notification rules for students who violate the alcohol policy.
A proposal endorsed last spring by the Disciplinary Review Committee, a group of students, faculty and administrators, and presented to Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, recommends that the alcohol policy in the Student Code of Conduct be amended to ban kegs on campus. Kegs are currently permitted in university townhouses and apartments where at least one resident is of legal drinking age.
The recommendation also stipulated that the university may notify parents of students found in violation of the alcohol policy after a second offense. Parents currently cannot be notified before a third infraction.
“These changes are proposed and will be discussed with students further,” Olson said. He said that GUSA plans to hold a meeting to hear student opinions on the recommendation.
Twister Murchison (SFS ’08), president of the student association, said that GUSA will hold an open forum on Oct. 4 in Sellinger Lounge between members of the DRC and students.
Olson approved changes proposed by the DRC in 2004 making it easier for students to register campus parties and eliminating sanctions for underage students caught at parties where alcohol is served. The committee also proposed a keg ban two years ago, but Olson did not enforce the recommendation, saying that he wanted more student input.
Murchison said that GUSA had planned to announce the changes during a press event Wednesday, and will post a position paper describing its opposition to the proposed keg ban on its Web site. GUSA will also run an online discussion forum on the site for students to discuss alternative plans.
Murchison, who took office after the DRC endorsed the recommendations, said that the proposed keg ban would force students off campus in search of alcohol, further straining relationships with local residents during a period of heightened off-campus violent activity.
“Banning of kegs will increase binge drinking from hard alcohol,” Murchison said, adding that the policy is aimed at a minority of students who drink until they become disruptive.
Murchison said, however, that GUSA does not oppose the proposed changes to the parental notification policy.
Two student members on the DRC – Dante Randazzo (SFS ’07) and Brittany Skoda (MSB ’09) – and Olson each said that more student input is needed before a final decision can be made.
Randazzo said that the proposed keg ban would only exacerbate problem related to drinking on campus if it is enacted.
“It will create additional consequences and additional problems to what we have already,” he said.
Gwen Owens, head of the Blommer Science Library, and German Professor Kurt Jankowsky, who were members of the DRC when it passed the proposals, could not be reached for comment.