Hours after mass rally, task force meets

The student-faculty task force on alcohol issues met yesterday. Provost Robert Barchi met with students and faculty yesterday for the first meeting of the newly created task force to examine the University's alcohol policy. The task force -- chaired by Barchi and appointed by University President Judith Rodin -- spent over two hours yesterday afternoon developing a list of the alcohol abuse problems at Penn and evaluating more permanent changes to the temporary alcohol policy which now bans alcohol at all registered undergraduate events. The committee -- composed of five administrators and professors and 14 student leaders representing organizations such as the Undergraduate Assembly, the InterFraternity and Panhellenic councils and the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team -- will continue to meet once or twice a week throughout the semester to discuss the existing alcohol policies and find alternate solutions to the suspension of alcohol at registered undergraduate parties. The committee will make its recommendations to Rodin as it comes up with them. The meeting marks the first occasion that students have spoken face-to-face with the administration about the recent decision. Students have spent the past several days criticizing Rodin and Barchi for not consulting them in developing the new and controversial policy. On Monday, Rodin responded to that concern by saying administrators have spent the past two years consulting with students on alcohol issues. The students on the committee stressed yesterday that while the consultation meeting came later than they had hoped for, it facilitated open and frank discussion between students and the administration. At yesterday's meeting, Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Bill Conway said he listed several of his own as well as other student's concerns regarding the alcohol ban, including the increased use of alcohol in off-campus locations, the increase in unregistered and unsupervised downtown parties and more underground use of alcohol. The Wharton junior added that other committee members were concerned about the increased use of illegal drugs on campus as a reaction to the new alcohol policy. College freshman Elizabeth Gesas, also on the committee, agreed that the discussion was "completely honest and completely forward," adding that Barchi "was extremely receptive. He wanted our input." And InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl, a College junior, said Barchi acknowledged the significant student interest in the issue. "It is clear that the provost and president see this as a window of opportunity for students to make effective changes in campus culture and policies," Metzl said. Ultimately, the committee wants to examine ways to combat alcohol abuse -- not alcohol use -- on campus, according to Undergraduate Assembly Vice Chairperson Michael Bassik, a College sophomore. "The policy is not about drinking itself," Bassik said. "It's about excessive drinking and abusive drinking." Though Barchi refused to comment for this article, Director of External Affairs for the provost's office Nancy Nowicki said Barchi and Rodin "were very encouraged by the conversation" at the meeting. She added that "it was healthy, open and candid." According to committee members, Barchi was interested in listening to the student concerns throughout the meeting and will continue to do so as the task force meets regularly over the next few weeks. Several members of the task force agreed that the goal of the meetings is to find a long-term alcohol policy for the University in as timely a fashion as possible. But while Barchi was receptive to the student ideas and comments on alcohol abuse, the committee members noted that he never commented on the student outrage over the lack of consultation that culminated in a rally yesterday afternoon. The rally -- attended by approximately 1,000 students -- protested the administration's lack of consultation with students over the recent decision to ban alcohol at all undergraduate registered parties. "The word 'rally' was never said by the administrators," said Conway, pointing out that administrators did not comment on the protest which had happened just a couple of hours earlier on College Hall's front lawn.

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