The College's ever-changing alcohol policy has evolved significantly since the days when pickup trucks full of kegs regularly supplied Greek houses, and students rather than Safety and Security officers were tasked with monitoring Greek events. The new committee charged with reviewing Dartmouth's Social Event Management Procedures, which regulate alcohol use at social events, will have to reckon with more than a decade of Dartmouth history and past policy.
>>Timeline of the College's alcohol policy reform efforts: Click here
Student Assembly is expected to decide on the composition of the committee on Friday.
Much of the debate over College alcohol policy stems from the late 1980s, when the federal government pushed states to raise their legal drinking ages from 18 to 21 years of age, according to Outdoor Programs Office director Dan Nelson, who twice served as acting dean of the College and was involved in multiple aspects of alcohol policy formulation.
The passage of the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act tied federal higher education funding to compliance with state alcohol law, forcing colleges to revise and strengthen their policies against underage drinking, Nelson said.
"All institutes of higher education in the country are required to have some system for dealing with violations of state drinking age," Nelson said. "Colleges and universities have wide latitude, but whether you do it is not discretionary."
The College's alcohol policy as it exists today is also largely a result of the contentious Student Life Initiative, an effort that many students perceived as an attack on the College's Greek system. Former College James Wright and members of the Board of Trustees announced the initiative in 1999, describing it as an attempt to expand the College's social options. The initiative was also intended, in part, to eliminate "the abuse and unsafe use of alcohol."
Prior to the SLI, the College's Fraternity and Sorority System managed and implemented its own procedures for social events, separately from other College departments and organizations, according to April Thompson, director of Undergraduate Judicial Affairs.
Many aspects of pre-SLI policy resemble the modern day SEMP. Prior to an alcohol policy review in 1998, Greek houses were required to register events and kegs with the College, and could only purchase a limited amount of alcohol for an event. The amount was determined by a formula based on a house's fire capacity, the length of the event and the number of drinking-aged students at Dartmouth.
Social events were classified under a two-tier system based on the number of students attending, with freshmen restricted from entering Tier II events, parties open to campus where alcohol was present. The CFS Council also trained students to monitor events and manage student alcohol consumption, limiting the involvement of Safety and Security. The student monitors conducted rounds of all Greek organizations, much as Safety and Security officers do today.
Policy changes in May 1998 allowed Safety and Security officers to accompany student monitors on patrol. The second tier definition changed, with different classifications for open and closed events with alcohol. Organizations were limited to purchasing two kegs for Tier II parties, closed events with no more than 400 invited guests, and five kegs for a Tier III party open to campus.
The policy was assessed as part of a wider review of College operations in 1999 under the SLI. After several committees reviewed College alcohol policy, the College's Board of Trustees announced that it would place Greek organizations under a judicial system and alcohol usage regime shared by other student groups. The Board also endorsed the removal of taps, refrigeration systems for kegs and permanent bars from Greek houses.
The process was also informed by a growing awareness of the health and safety issues inherent in student alcohol consumption, Nelson said. Committees involved in developing policy sought to leave space for organizations to hold events while still effectively protecting students, he said.
The Ad Hoc Working Group on Alcohol Policy, formed to clarify College alcohol policy, relied in previous CFS policies in developing a campus-wide system, Thompson said.
"When we went from the tier system to a comprehensive campus-wide policy, there wasn't a whole lot changed," Thompson said. "We used the same principles and the same material."
The resulting alcohol policy, implemented in January 2003, placed "greater emphasis on health, safety, individual and group responsibility" and clarified regulations regarding the presence of alcohol at events, according to a letter sent to students by then-Dean of the College James Larimore.
Organizations were required to register events with 40 people, or events with an attendance greater than the number of members in the organization, whichever was fewer a reversal of previous policy, which called for choosing the greater number.
All Greek organizations collectively could register a maximum of 24 kegs on any given night. Organizations also had to limit event attendance to one-and-a-half times fire capacity over the course of the event, and to provide food and nonalcoholic beverages to event attendees.
The policy also created and expanded procedures for monitoring social events, the first time the SEMP label was officially used. Greek organizations were limited to two registered events per week and were required to register events at least 72 hours in advance.
Students saw many of the new policies as needlessly restrictive, The Dartmouth reported at the time. The event registration requirements and two-event weekly limit were seen as particularly troublesome for Greek organizations, as they effectively prohibited organizations from holding multiple events on weekends, in addition to weekly organization meetings.
"Either the new rule can be followed and could cripple campus social life, or it can be ignored, leaving people to get in trouble," then-Student Body President Janos Marton '04 told The Dartmouth at the time.
The policy was amended in April 2003 to allow organizations to hold three events per week. Controversy erupted again following the College's decision in Winter term 2004 to calculate the ceiling for the number keg purchases based on previous attendance at an organization's events. The change resulted in lower limits on alcohol purchases.
"It was trying, at that time, to engage in a conversation that [the Greek organizations'] estimate needs to be closer to reality," Dean of Student Life Joe Cassidy said.
Cassidy chaired a SEMP review committee in October 2004 that tried to assess student opinion and make the policy more effective.
The committee produced the second iteration of SEMP, which resembles the current policy in most respects. It included the current categories of open, closed and members-only events. Hard liquor was restricted to members-only events, while closed events limited to 80 people were less regulated but more restricted in the amount of alcohol that could be served.
The policy included a new provision for "on-the-fly" registration, allowing organizations to serve alcohol at a spontaneous event by contacting Safety and Security directly. A category for "tails" events, at which hard liquor can be served, was added in 2006.
The College began a second review of SEMP in 2007, at Nelson's behest. The committee ultimately produced the Alcohol Management Policy, which former Dean of the College Tom Crady announced in October 2008 would replace SEMP.
Implementation was delayed to gather additional student input, with the delay extended due to College financial issues. AMP was ultimately shelved following Crady's departure in August, in favor of a SEMP review.
