When the proposed keg ban made news way back in October, Georgetown students were incensed, and they made sure that everyone knew it. Over 100 students attended a raucous town hall meeting with members of the Disciplinary Review Committee in Sellinger Lounge. The Voice and The Hoya ran a flurry of editorials and opinion pieces debating the issue. In a nonbinding referendum organized by the Student Association, students overwhelmingly voted against the ban.
But a mere two months later, public opinion seems to have not so much shifted as disappeared completely. Midterms intervened and the keg ban slipped off of our collective radar.
This week, though, the ban should be back on top. Tomorrow, Student Association leaders including President Twister Murchison (SFS ’08) and Chief of Staff Eden Schiffmann (COL ’08) will meet with Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson for the last time to present their opposition to the ban and their alternative alcohol policy changes.
“I’m a little worried that public attention on the issue has sort of lapsed, but we’re trying to keep it in the public eye,” Murchison said. “Unless we can present some alternative proposals, the action that will probably be taken is the keg ban.”
In an e-mail message, Olson wrote that he “anticipate[s] making a decision soon -? either before the end of this semester or in January at the latest.” According to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jeanne Lord, the ban will be implemented immediately if it is approved.
In their presentation, the Student Association members plan to cite examples of other schools where keg bans have failed, including Boston College in the ‘90s. They have also garnered support from neighborhood residents who would rather keep parties on campus than in their backyards.
“I’m confident in our chances,” Murchison said. “Obviously the biggest test of our efforts will come this Friday.”
While the Student Association should be commended for accurately and competently representing the opinion of the student body, they have received disappointingly little support from the campus community as a whole. Questions of enforceability aside, students will be up in arms if this ban is approved, and in light of that, they have done surprisingly little to fight it.
“Everyone cares about the issue,” Schiffmann said. “Unfortunately, we’re the only ones who have the most direct contact with the administrators who will be making the decision.”
So there you have it. Armed with facts and figures, the Student Association will take on Dr. Olson tomorrow in the end game of the on-campus keg debate. If you want to join them in fighting for your right to party -? by rallying in Red Square, emailing administrators or contacting neighborhood officials -? the time is now.
