New alcohol policy stresses social options

By Eric Tucker University President Judith Rodin last month approved a revised alcohol policy that Penn administrators hope will provide increased non-alcoholic social options, educate students about alcohol abuse and, at the very least, reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents on campus. The new policy includes a total ban of hard alcohol at all undergraduate registered events, a stipulation that alcohol distribution at registered parties end at 1 a.m., a stricter monitoring and BYOB policy, more educational programming, more non-alcoholic social options and counseling and education for those who commit alcohol violations. There will also be stricter regulations regarding alcohol in individual dorm rooms. The policy, already in place, follows months of discussion -- involving a provost-led task force consisting of 14 students and seven faculty and staff members -- about ways in which the University can deter students from binge drinking by providing education, counseling and social alternatives. The committee developed its recommendations within five categories: education, ensuring student safety, responsibility and accountability, minimizing risk and expanding social options. Penn's revised alcohol policy calls for extensive non-alcoholic social programming -- which Barchi estimated will cost between $200,000 and $400,000 -- with possibilities ranging from late-night basketball tournaments at Gimbel Gymnasium to blockbuster movie screenings at the soon-to-be reopened Irvine Auditorium. "A lot of people have put in a lot of hours to make these things happen," Barchi said. "I'm very pleased to say that virtually everything is either in place now or will be in place in the very short term." Specifically, Barchi pointed to weekly events occurring each Thursday, Friday and Saturday that will be sponsored by one of the college houses and could include lectures and concerts. In addition, Gimbel will remain open until 2 a.m. every Thursday night and will be free after midnight for any student with a PennCard. Weightlifting contests and slam dunk and three-on-three basketball competitions may be held during the year. A weekly movie series, slated for Irvine Auditorium and the newly reopened Logan Hall, is also scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday nights and will likely feature a combination of contemporary blockbuster hits and "golden oldies." A $100,000, 35-millimeter projection system was recently installed in Irvine, Barchi said. The Moravian Cafes will also stay open late at least one night each week and will sponsor live music, while the Rotunda at 4012 Walnut Street will host performing arts and spoken art every Thursday and Friday night. And a Web site, http://www.upenn. edu/philly/, will update students on all events happening around campus on any given weekend with additional links to events in Philadelphia. The non-alcoholic social options were a major piece of the task force's recommendations and an additional committee met regularly this summer to discuss their implementation. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Michael Silver, who served on the initial task force and then later on the implementation committee, called the recently designed social programming a "step in the right direction." "I think that it presents more choices and that's the only place to start," said Silver, a College senior. The University is also working at fulfilling the educational component of the recommendations. To that end, administrators last week announced the appointment of University Alcohol Coordinator Stephanie Ives, whose position was specifically requested by the task force. Ives, who spent the past four years as a drug and alcohol specialist at the University of Arizona, will help design educational programming and tackle alcohol-related problems on campus. Whether the task force's work -- and, in particular, a new alcohol policy -- will succeed in decreasing the number of alcohol-related incidents remains to be seen. According to Vice Provost for Student Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, an annual student survey will provide alcohol use trend data that can help administrators gauge the effectiveness of the new policy. "It is important to have a number of qualitative as well as quantitative assessments because, often, numbers in the absence of context may not tell the full measure of how very successful the [task force's] work will be," she said. Following a series of alcohol-related events on campus last March, including the death of 1994 College graduate Michael Tobin, the University instituted a temporary ban on alcohol at all undergraduate registered events. The task force, which convened and met for six weeks, submitted to Rodin in April a list of 45 recommendations on ways to combat student alcohol abuse. Following a two-month consultation period during which Rodin sought input from students, parents and administrators, all of the recommendations were approved and written into an updated alcohol policy that was mailed to current and incoming students last month.