After a semester’s worth of deliberation, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson decided not to ban kegs, although he will limit events to one keg each starting next fall.
“We want students to socialize, and we respect that,” Olson said in an interview yesterday afternoon, before the e-mail to the student body was sent.
In his e-mail, Olson described the new alcohol policy, which imposes stricter sanctions on repeat policy violators.
These sanctions include calls to the parents of underage students after a second offense, and possible disciplinary suspension.
The Student Association, which worked closely with Olson and the Disciplinary Review Committee during the deliberation process, was very pleased with the results.
“I’m very relieved by Dr. Olson’s decision not to ban kegs, and I’m particularly thankful that he decided to implement several suggestions made by the Student Association and others in the community,” Student Association President Twister Murchison (SFS’08) said.
“It’s clear from the decision that he took our words to heart.”
Olson agreed that student and neighborhood perspectives had played a role in his decision process.
Aside from the Student Association, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission also spoke out against the proposed keg ban, passing a resolution in December to register their opposition.
“Student input and community input in this process was taken very seriously,” Olson said.
With the keg policy settled, Olson is now turning his attention to possible reforms to the party notification system and regulations on party size.
“There will be some ongoing conversations that students will be involved in,” Olson said.
