A semi-annual review of the College's Social Events Management Procedures, which sets guidelines for alcohol use by organizations, is expected to commence next week. The effort, spearheaded by Dean of Residential Life Marty Redman, will include four students and four administrators.
SEMP determines the number of people allowed at parties and the kind of alcohol that may be served, Redman said.
One aspect of SEMP that Redman expects will go under close review is the number of people allowed to be at a "closed event." Currently, if there are more than 80 students at a party, it is considered "open," meaning that it has to be registered with the College and Safety and Security performs a "walk-through." A problem with this, Redman said, is that certain organizations, including some Greek houses, have more than 80 members and thus cannot have a closed event just for members.
SEMP currently defines several categories of events, including "members only" parties, "closed events," "open events" and "'tails parties."
"One of the things that I have been hearing from students for the past couple of years, but particularly during the period that I've been serving, is a sense that our policies for managing social events where alcohol is being served could be improved," acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson said. "I think there's still room for improvement. It's a challenging area of student life for both administrators and for students."
Another issue the review board will address is the "amazing misconception that kegs are not allowed on campus," Redman said.
There is no maximum on the number of kegs that can be registered for one weekend, he explained.
A review of SEMP does not mean that the entirety of the College's alcohol policy is being examined, Redman explained.
"[SEMP is] a part of the alcohol policy, but it's not the alcohol policy itself," he said.
To fill the four student slots on the committee, Redman is asking the Greek Leadership Council to find two Greek-involved students who have experience dealing with SEMP. Student Assembly is making recommendations to Redman for who should fill the other two positions, but Redman hopes that they will have dealt with SEMP as well.
"SEMP only applies to undergraduates," Redman said. "How can you have this conversation without students being part of it? It just doesn't make sense. Not to include them would be a disaster -- there are not too many times when I hold a keg party in a frat basement."
The staff on the review board includes administrators from Student Activities, Dick's House and Safety and Security.
The review group has until the middle of Winter term to make its report, Redman said. The report will then go to Dean of the College Tom Crady, who will take over for Nelson in January. Once Crady reviews it, he can accept it, ask the group to look further into specific facets of the SEMP or reject it entirely, although Redman said he doubts this will happen. If changes are made, they will go into effect next September.
