Terms of U.'s new alcohol policy to impact campus life

The new set of rules includes stricter disciplinary actions and restrictions along with a range of educational and social programming. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with several administrators and student leaders to determine exactly how each aspect of the new rules will affect the student body this year. · Kegs of beer are forbidden from any University-managed undergraduate residence. This shouldn't affect students living in Penn housing. Kegs were already banned in residences, according to the College House head David Brownlee. ·Hard alcohol is prohibited at registered on-campus parties. Now, all events -- including fraternity parties -- will be limited to serving beer. According to InterFraternity Council Executive Vice President Andrew Exum this will put an end to cocktail parties at on-campus locations. Hard liquor is still allowed, though, at sorority parties held at off-campus locations. However, these parties will be more heavily regulated. ·Students under 21 cannot have alcohol in University residences. This has always been Penn's policy. But even so, the administration will not be enforcing the rule more strictly than in the past. Brownlee said there are no plans in place to do bag checks or search student's rooms. ·On-campus parties must stop serving alcohol at 1 a.m., but parties may continue until 2 a.m. Formerly, parties could serve until closing time at 2, so now the drinking window of opportunity will be smaller. But officials hope this will slow parties down and allow students time to sober up before going out into the streets. ·All events that serve alcohol must also supply non-alcoholic beverages and food. This policy was already in place for fraternities, Exum said, but now every group on campus has to provide food and non-alcoholic beverages. So the menu should be more extensive at parties this year. ·All on-campus events must use a "bring your own" policy and have outside monitors and bartenders present. Technically this means that a group planning a party can only purchase one six-pack of beer per each over-21 organization member. Then guests that can legally drink may bring one six-pack and give it to the bartender, who hands them six redeemable tickets. Additionally, all events must now have monitors -- one for every 50 guests -- to ensure that the policy is being enforced. And bartenders must now be over 21 and cannot belong to the group holding the event. The monitors will be mostly graduate and professional students provided by the University. But the organization is responsible for hiring its own bartenders. These rules will likely cause a drastic drop in the number of official on-campus parties, Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Michael Silver speculated. He said the "number of registered on-campus parties will drastically drop because the rules are stricter." Like last spring, many parties will probably be pushed off campus to avoid these regulations. ·Students who are severly intoxicated will not be punished for seeking medical help -- neither will a friend helping the sick individual. This restates a University policy that not all students understood, said Brownlee. Officials don't want students to avoid the hospital when they have alcohol poisoning because worried about being punished. · One member of every campus organization with more than 10 members -- even if they don't hold any parties -- must be trained about alcohol abuse. -- Catherine Lucey