Students and faculty of the FRIENDS initiative submitted a proposal to Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson this week that would drastically change Georgetown’s alcohol policy. The document includes recommendations to eliminate Georgetown’s “dry dorm” policy, party registration and “beer gardens” which physically separate drinkers from non-drinkers at on-campus parties.
The proposal will be submitted to the Disciplinary Review Committee for assessment in early September, Olson said, and it will be evaluated over the course of this school year.
“The ideal situation is the next fall, these are the new rules that students are learning,” said Mike Glick (CAS ‘05), who is one of the proposal’s authors.
Glick says he and the authors “began with a new philosophy” that focuses on harm reduction and community building. The authors of the proposal realize college students drink, Glick said, and they hope to help ensure that “they do it in a responsible and safe manner.”
Professor William Daddio, who sat on the Alcohol Policy Review Committee that authored the first draft of the proposal, said “It’s not the drinking that’s important, it’s the socializing.” Daddio hopes the new measures streamline the alcohol policy and remove extraneous regulations. “If you have too many rules, that means you have to violate them,” he said.
One step in the overhaul process would be the elimination of alcohol-free residences, known as “dry dorms.” Currently, no one, regardless of age, may possess alcohol in a University dormitory. But Glick notes that since almost all the inhabitants of these dormitories are under the age of 21, the rule creates “a repetitive circumstance.” District law already forbids consumption or possession of alcohol to those under the age of 21.
One consequence of eliminating of the dry dorm policy is that “some of the more infamous and unnecessary policies” will disappear, said Glick. For example, the sanctions currently in place for being in the presence of alcohol, but not consuming it, will be removed. In addition, possessing empty containers that previously contained alcohol will no longer be punishable.
The proposal also streamlines the party registration process. Currently, those holding a party in a University residence must register by the Wednesday before the weekend. The proposal eliminates this process, but asks students to alert neighbors and to keep noise levels down.
The proposal also creates Party Engagement Groups (PEGs), which would act as a mediator between students and campus security. Under this policy, students would receive warnings and suggestions from PEGs, possibly consisting of Residence Assistants, faculty or staff, before having to interact with campus security. The policy is intended to reduce both harm to students and the frequency of disciplinary action.
If passed, the proposal will also change the current sanctioning policy, Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Todd Olson, said. In the case of some minor alcohol violations, “the sanctions are not in proportion to the kind of violation.”
Daddio cites good leadership, increased student involvement, and a desire on the part of both students and the administration to improve a harmful situation as the critical factors in the production of this proposal. Olson said the current policy’s main weakness is that it “makes it difficult for students to feel comfortable on campus.”
This latest proposal is part of a larger effort by the FRIENDS initiative to create a social culture in which drinking is not central. Members of this group have sponsored Georgetown Day, a campus wide event that takes place on the last day of classes, Traditions Day, which celebrates the university’s history, and last Sunday’s Better than Ezra concert.
