Dean of the College Lee Pelton released his official response to the Interim Report of the College Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs yesterday, outlining a new campus alcohol policy that will have take effect on May 1.
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 kegs will not be allowed during Summer term.
Pelton said he believes that the new policy will reduce the overall consumption of alcohol by students. The new regulations will create an environment in which houses comply with the limit rather than exceed it by sneaking in kegs, he said.
In addition, Pelton said hopes the new policies will help the College comply with local and federal laws on alcohol use.
Students are not allowed to live in CFS houses which are not subject to the rules of Dartmouth College, Pelton wrote, and therefore the College has the right to govern privately owned CFS organizations.
In forming the new alcohol policy, Pelton said he considered both the CCAOD report on alcohol policy recommendations he received last fall and the Coed, Fraternity and Sorority Council's responses to that report last January.
"I was pleased to receive the CFSC report, because it endorsed in principle many of the recommendations of the CCAOD report," Pelton said. His ultimate decision on the alcohol policies was a "combination of the two reports," he said.
John Muckle '99, president of the CFSC, said he thinks Pelton was "very reasonable" in his decision-making. For example, the five-keg limit is a "good compromise" between the three-keg limit the CCAOD recommended and the six-keg limit the CFSC recommended, he said.
Case Dorkey '99, who chairs the Student Assembly's committee on administration and faculty relations, said "the CCAOD's interim report, if implemented the way it was, would have had a number of negative consequences on the campus culture."
He said Pelton "really tried to listen to what students were telling him" in preparing the final response to the CCAOD report.
Monitors
Pelton agreed with the portion of the CFSC report which said that the "roving monitor system currently in place has failed in its mission of preventing underage drinking."
Pelton said the CFSC now needs to describe in more detail how the Safety and Security and student monitor team will be assured entry to houses without delay or the "warning systems" used in the past.
Dorkey said an important part of Pelton's policy is that rules for Safety and Security entering houses will be worked out in conjunction with the CFSC.
"I think a lot depends on ... how this report is implemented. I think for someone to get upset at this point would be premature," added Dorkey, who is also the intern to the Office of Residential Life for the CFSC.
"It really depends on what the conditions are that Safety and Security comes into the house," he said.
A more detailed description of the monitoring proposal must be submitted by May 1 if the College is to accept the aforementioned "self-policing" plan recommended by the CFSC.
Pelton requested that Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deb Reinders, College Proctor and Director of Safety and Security Robert McEwen and Director of Health Resources Gabrielle Lucke work with members of the CFSC to develop a workable plan.
Pelton's response also suggested that the College should "reduce its dependence on CFS houses for social events," through the provision of more late-night, weekend social options for undergraduates.
Times and kegs
Pelton disagreed with the CCAOD's recommendations that parties end by 2 a.m. on weekends.
However, he urged houses to cease the service of alcohol early enough to ensure that social events close promptly at 3:00 a.m.
The decision to ban kegs during Summer term strayed the most from CFSC recommendations. Muckle expressed his dismay but said he understood the reasoning behind the decision.
Muckle said he tried to convince Pelton not to ban kegs completely during the Summer term, but Pelton "made a good point in that only 100 students on campus will be of age," Muckle said.
"There may be occasions when the number of students who are of legal drinking age increases dramatically," Pelton said.
In those cases, kegs will be allowed at closely monitored events at the discretion of the Office of Residential Life, Pelton said.
Pelton emphasized that the policy is only a current solution to the alcohol situation on campus.
"I've been around long enough to know not to say anything is permanent," Pelton said. "These regulations should be reviewed on an annual basis."
Pelton noted that Dartmouth is legally bound to abide by the regulations imposed by the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989.
That act mandates that the College must attempt to prevent "the distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees" to receive financial assistance under any federal program.
While the College is under federal jurisdiction, it has flexibility in developing its own regulations as they regard alcohol but as Pelton points out in the report, to some extent "those regulations seek to balance the acceptable levels of risk while keeping in mind we have legal obligations."
