From no IDs to 'BYOB': Rodin and alcohol policy

No University alcohol monitors. No trained bartenders. No required carding at on-campus fraternity parties.

Partying at Penn had a different face when University President Judith Rodin first came into office in 1994.

Much of the social scene revolved around official, on-campus fraternity houses rather than off-campus outposts. A "Bring Your Own Beer" policy officially prohibited organizations from providing alcohol to partygoers -- a rule that went largely unenforced and disobeyed.

Later in Rodin's tenure, a lot changed -- a University Alcohol and Drug Policy has been passed, requiring carding and certified bartenders. It also bans hard liquor at registered parties and sends roving alcohol monitors to check up on all parties.

The policies began changing in 1997, on the heels of increasing national press about binge drinking on campuses and after a weekend in fall 1997 of alcohol-related incidents at Penn.

Immediately, Rodin became more active in combating alcohol abuse at Penn. In addition to holding many conversations with students, she set up a committee to address alcohol-related issues -- moves that, according to Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, were unprecedented for a university president.

"President Rodin and the students with whom she has worked over these years were absolutely right in believing that alcohol abuse is a national issue and must have a multifaceted approach," McCoullum said.

While discussions arose initially, the party scene at Penn didn't change much.

But then, Michael Tobin died.

The 26-year-old Penn alumnus spent a weekend partying at his old Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house on campus. On the morning of March 21, 1999, Tobin's body was found face down in a garbage pile in the back of the house -- and at the time of his death, Tobin's blood alcohol level was more than double the legal limit.

Rodin took action quickly, calling for a temporary ban on all undergraduate alcohol-related activities, which spurred one of the largest student protests in Penn's history -- students harshly criticized "Mother Rodin" for not consulting them before declaring the campus dry.

In the midst of the campus turmoil, Rodin asked Provost Robert Barchi to organize a task force to suggest alcohol policy revisions.

Tobin's death "was the call to arms, if you will, the wake-up call that said we simply must come together as a community and do something about this," Barchi said.

The task force -- called the Working Group on Alcohol Abuse -- spent weeks deliberating and, ultimately, submitted 44 recommendations to Rodin for approval, including the new alcohol policy, expanding alcohol-free, University-sponsored social programming and enhancing alcohol education initiatives.

The recommendations were, again, met with student criticism.

"The University was trying to change the way the entire social life worked, and people who were participating in that social life don't really want that to happen," said John Buchanan, the executive vice president of the InterFraternity Council in 1999.

Buchanan -- who served on a policy follow-up task force -- said students felt "like the University is sort of trampling on your fun" and that Rodin was quickly blamed for the changes.

Nevertheless, the task force's suggestions, which Rodin accepted, were designed in the students' best interest, according to Barchi.

"The fundamental driving element that underlies all those recommendations was to reduce the risk to the life and safety to the students on campus."

Furthermore, officials said students were the real power behind the policy -- 15 students and only six faculty and staff members served on the task force.

"Students were instrumental in formulating the response and really believed that there had been a problem that needed to be addressed and believed that they had come up with some serious and important solutions to it," said Michele Goldfarb, director of the Office of Student Conduct and a member of the task force.

Buchanan recalled an angry student body, but agreed that students were deeply involved in the development of the policy.

"As someone who sat in the meetings and met with students once a week, I felt like they listened to us," he said. "It may not have been what students wanted, but at least there were students involved in making the decisions."

One decision that came out of the task force was to create a position for a coordinator of alcohol efforts -- by fall 1999, when the new policy went into effect, Stephanie Ives was hired as director of alcohol policy initiatives.

One of Ives' main projects has been to print a series of advertisements -- based on her office's findings -- that suggest that most students at Penn drink moderately.

In fall 2000, the "BYOB" clause was dropped in favor of allowing parties to distribute alcohol, while prohibiting common containers like punch bowls and kegs. But otherwise, most of the 1999 policy changes have not been revised.

"The policy is very moderate, very fair," Ives said. "It focuses largely on student safety."

According to Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush, the hard work has paid off -- there have been noticeably fewer alcohol-related citations since around the time Penn began taking a hard look at its alcohol initiatives.

Both Ives and Barchi stressed the success of the medical amnesty clause --implemented in 1999 -- which promises that students who seek medical attention while intoxicated will not be disciplined for doing so.

"The policy of amnesty for medical care has been one that the students recognize, understand and use," Barchi said.

And according to Ives, a survey found that over 85 percent of Penn students said they were more likely to seek medical attention because of the clause.

McCoullum said the strength of the alcohol initiatives is in their comprehensiveness -- spanning from written, enforced rules to the creation of the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, a student group that educates peers about alcohol.

Nevertheless, the alcohol policy has not solved all of Penn's alcohol issues. Goldfarb pointed to a failure of many organizations to register their parties, and Barchi noted that the number of on-campus parties have decreased since the policy has gone into effect, and thus more students are attending off-campus parties -- which he believes are less safe.

Officials say Penn constantly reviews alcohol-related efforts by talking to students and conducting student surveys.

And according to Goldfarb, "President Rodin has constantly encouraged continuing review and assessment of campus culture about alcohol use and abuse and policies."

Altering the alcohol policy In the wake of tragedy, Rodin led the University to change its rules on campus drinking. • Fall 1997: Weekend of alcohol-related violence draws administration's attention to need for alcohol policy and enforcement. • March 21, 1999: Penn alumnus Michael Tobin dies at campus FIJI party with .23 BAC at time of death. Within days, Rodin temporarily bans alcohol consumption at undergraduate events, prompting severe student protests. • March 30, 1999: Rodin charges a task force, Working Group on Alcohol Abuse, with the duty of coming up with recommendations to solve alcohol-related problems at Penn. • April 26, 1999: WGAA submits its recommendations to Rodin. Rodin gives the campus until June 30 to give her feedback on the WGAA's report. • August 1999: Rodin approves the recommendations, which include expandingalcohol-free social programming and alcohol education. • Fall 1999: The new policy is put into effect. • Fall 1999: Stephanie Ives becomes director of alcohol initiatives. • February 2000: Ad campaign encouraging students to drink moderately is launched. • Oct. 31, 2000: University revises the alcohol policy, eliminating the previous "BYOB" clause. • May 2003: The Tobin family lawsuit against Penn goes to trial. • June 2003: The Tobins and Penn reach a settlement.

About this series Penn is a very different place now than it was back in 1994, when University President Judith Rodin first took the helm. And now that Rodin has announced that she will leave her position in June, the University is apt to see more changes in the future. For the next week and a half, The Daily Pennsylvanian will examine a variety of issues, events and people on and around campus that have been affected under Rodin's decade-long tenure. Topics will range from Penn's reputation in higher education to the build-up of retail around campus to expectations for Rodin's successor.

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