Students' reactions to Dean of the College Lee Pelton's recently released alcohol policy have been mixed -- some students said they are relieved the administration listened to student input, others questioned how effective the policy can be.
Among other alterations to current policy, Pelton decided that Coed, Fraternity and Sorority organizations "will be allocated no more than five kegs for an open, registered social event" on weekends, Safety and Security monitor teams will be permitted immediate entrance into CFS events on a routine basis and no kegs will be allowed during Summer term.
Panhellenic Council President Cynthia Anderson '99 said she did not think the policy would affect how students drink.
"I don't think it will change the way students use alcohol," she said. "But I think it will change the way Greek Houses serve alcohol."
Anderson said she thinks students on campus have an unhealthy attitude toward drinking, but that policies restricting the amount of alcohol served at Greek events cannot change how much students drink.
Interfraternity Council President Jonah Sonnenborn '99 said he felt the administration needs to concentrate on working with the students.
He said the administration needs to make sure there are enough social options for students. Sonnenborn said fraternities offer the only space on campus for students to congregate.
Sonnenborn said he is concerned about the timing of the new policy, since there is so much impending turnover in the College's administration.
Seth Kelly '99, president of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity, said he thinks the most recent policies are reasonable because Pelton considered the students' reaction to the College Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs' initial proposal.
Kelly called the new policy "a good compromise."
Adrian Durbin '98, former president of Psi Upsilon fraternity, said he thinks the policies are very fair overall. The people at the parties will probably be "on edge for a little while," but he said they will get used to it.
Durbin said he feels Safety and Security will probably be stricter from now on, and the fraternities will be unable to break rules easily.
Durbin said Psi U does not plan to change too much; it will not start holding closed parties. He said, "I do not foresee any difference in the campus atmosphere."
Jennifer Parkinson '99, president of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, said she was pleased Pelton listened to students. She said the CFS took the recommendations seriously and worked hard on making suggestions.
"Dean Pelton shows his respect for the amount of work we put in." She said everyone's goal is to create a safe drinking environment at Dartmouth. She also said she hopes individuals will start taking more responsibility for their actions.
William Bleier '98 said he thinks there will not be much change, although he was disturbed about the new monitoring system. He said he feels that private houses should not be open to Safety and Security officers.
Some students said they think the change could be very disagreeable.
Martin Kerestes '01 said he disagrees with the policy because it could effectively destroy the fraternity system. He said he does not blame Pelton, because he agrees the College needs to change the drinking scene somehow. However, he said, he thinks the policy will not change his own social life; he will go out just as much.
Caroline Kovas '01 said she is "not really a fan" of the policy. She said she did think the College could implement a better system than the current one, calling the current alcohol monitoring system "a joke."
Kovas said she hopes the College will not implement policies which make it impossible for underage students to drink on campus, because such policies could lead to drunk driving if students look for alcohol off-campus.
