Penn's current alcohol policy remains a work in progress

It has been nearly eight months since a new policy designed to change the social culture at Penn and prevent alcohol-related tragedies went into effect. And those behind the ambitious plan say that while they believe the University is on the right track, the policy remains a work in progress. The policy was created after the death of 1994 College graduate Michael Tobin following a night of drinking at an annual Phi Gamma Delta reunion. Tobin fell to his death down a flight of stairs behind the FIJI house a year ago this week. After five weeks of discussions, a provost-led task force submitted a 10-page report to University President Judith Rodin, who approved the recommendations in full last summer. Now, administrators and students are looking at ways to better achieve their stated goals, even if it means altering parts of the policy. "We are not wedded to any of these specifics -- we are wedded to the overall goal," said Provost Robert Barchi, emphasizing that the policy still cannot be fully evaluated after just one year. The current policy outlines stricter rules for monitoring parties and the distribution of alcohol at registered undergraduate events. It also proposes a wide range of non-alcoholic social and educational programming. After more than a semester under the new rules, there is a general consensus among administrators and student leaders that the policy has provided more social options and better enforcement of alcohol rules. But there are definitely a few kinks to work out. The BYOB rules outlined in the policy have proved largely ineffective. And certain social options, such as bringing a bowling alley to campus, have not yet come to pass. Administrators stress that the policy is still a work in progress and changes will be made as needed. Barchi -- who last year headed and continues to lead the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse -- said changes to the policy are appropriate because it was designed to be a working, evolving set of regulations and guidelines. "The idea here was to try to change the culture at Penn towards drinking," Barchi said. "The goal was never to create a policy that was going to last forever. We said from the very beginning that this is going to be an incremental process." Over the next year, several components of the policy may be modified, as administrators review some of the alcohol restrictions and work to fulfill more of the social programming goals. First on the list of changes is the current rule that requires alcohol to be brought to registered events on a BYOB basis, which has proven to be ineffective at limiting alcohol at parties. "The BYOB policy is one area that is a good example of an element that was put in place for a good reason but turns out to be relatively impractical to implement," Barchi said. Barchi said the BYOB policy will likely be reviewed in coming months, as well as the practice of using tickets to redeem drinks from bartenders at parties. Alcohol Policy Coordinator Stephanie Ives said the policy's implementation has gone very well in general, with students demonstrating a willingness to comply with the new University regulations. "I think the rest of the policy looks pretty solid," she said. "The increased social options have been very successful." The BYOB situation will most likely be discussed this summer, she said, with a decision in place before the start of the fall semester. A related provision in the alcohol policy requiring that registered parties have trained bartenders may also be revisited in the near future, according to Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Michael Silver, a member of the Alcohol Rapid Response Team, a committee of student leaders which meets periodically to discuss alcohol issues with the provost. Many fraternities have been reluctant to use the bartenders trained by the University because of their high costs, he said, preferring to use other licensed bartenders instead. Incentives are being considered that could be used to encourage increased use of University-trained bartenders, Silver said, noting that these bartenders "were trained according to the rules of the alcohol policy." InterFraternity Council Executive Vice President John Buchanan, a College junior and ARRT member, agreed that it is "easier on the fraternities" to have bartenders familiar with University rules at their parties, but noted that the $25 per hour charged for each University-trained bartender is "a fairly significant expense" when fraternities can have licensed students tend their bars for less money. "Another compromise can be reached where we have trained bartenders behind the bar instead of students," Buchanan said. "I respect the University wanting to have trained people behind the bar." Regulating alcohol consumption at parties, however, wasn't the only recommendation to combat alcohol abuse made by the WGAA in its report last spring. The group recommended that the University arrange for increased non-alcoholic social options for students late at night. Programs organized by college houses and student groups have been a part of the implementation of these recommendations, but the University has also been working to bring businesses to University City that will allow students to have a wider range of late-night entertainment. "When we start talking about entertainment options? we're working on that right now," said Vice President for Business Services Leroy Nunery. The opening of the Perelman Quadrangle this summer will be "a huge plus" in providing more options for students, Nunery said. Surveys have shown that students are interested in having an expansion of the types of entertainment available to them, he added. "People particularly were interested in places where they could play pool [and] bowl," Nunery said. Though he said the University is working on bringing new business to campus, Nunery noted that projects like building a bowling alley require a considerable amount of space, among other expenses. "We had some early discussions about [bowling]," he said, including talks with a leading national producer of bowling alleys. "I think it would be a very attractive option." However, Nunery stressed that Penn must "utilize the assets we already have" by focusing on efforts like those of the Vice Provost for University Life to create more non-alcoholic student programs. "You can't just throw money at it" with new businesses, he said. "You have to make sure that, on a broad scale, [change] happens."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.