Starting in the fall 2019 semester, St. Bonaventure students could be looking at an alcohol policy with some new changes. A review committee from the Student Affairs Division has worked all year to update the alcohol policy to make the safer campus for everyone. Its goal is to also continue refining school policies that will change the culture in a positive fashion.
Some of the changes being made to the policy are on how much alcohol students 21 and over are permitted to have while living on campus. The policy will allow for a maximum of one unit of alcohol maximum per person of legal drinking age who are living in rooms and apartments.
One unit of alcohol is defined as 12 bottles of beer or malted beverage containing 12 ounces, two 750 milliliter bottles of wine or one 750 milliliter bottle of liquor. One unit is the amount allowed per occupant of a room, not per person present.
“That’s industry standard at this point on how most alcohol policies are written,” said Nichole Gonzalez, executive director for residential living and conduct. “So if you live in a single room, the most alcohol you can have at one time is one unit.”
Another part of the policy that the review committee changed involved removing the party procedures and kegs on campus. Currently, students living in any townhouse or apartment could get a permit to host approved parties. Depending on the size of the apartment, parties were allowed to have kegs on campus.
“We may have been the last campus on the face of this earth that allowed kegs on campus,” said Gonzalez.
The committee also changed the first violation of the alcohol policy. Currently, students who violate the alcohol policy for the first time receive a written warning. If the recent changes are implemented, first-time violators will receive a $50 disciplinary fine instead. They will be required to evaluate behaviors relating to alcohol through an educational program.
“The drug policy first-time violation came down to $100 and this [alcohol violation] is rising,” said Gonzalez.
The current drug policy has the first-time drug violation set at a $200 fine and the alcohol violation only at a written warning.
“Alcohol causes a lot more problems on our campus than people smoking pot,” said Gonzalez. “And the documentation of policy violations happens because there’s alcohol in a room and people are not 21. That’s why documentation happens.”
The frequent alcohol-related problems are the reasons the gap between the drug and alcohol fines are shrinking, and why the first violation of the alcohol policy is increasing.
“Obviously there will be people who don’t like the $50 fine for the first time and not being a written warning,” said Gonzalez. “That’s where there was push back in the committee and with the students as well.”
“I don’t appreciate that because if it’s my roommate with the alcohol, it’s not fair to me to pay the $50,” said James Bjarnar, a freshmen undeclared business major.
Another change that is happening, but that is not directly involved with the alcohol policy, is the limited number of people in a space.
“There will be person limits, but that’s a fire safety issue. That’s not an alcohol issue,” said Gonzalez.
The limit is determined by how many occupants live in a space to the number of guest and visitors they can have. This is required for any living space, room or apartment.
Before these changes go into effect, they have to be approved through the president’s council, and the president has to sign off on them. If approved, these changes will go into effect for the fall 2019 semester.
“Ultimately, we made the recommendation to the vice president who is going to take it to the president’s council, and they will decide,” said Gonzalez.
If the policy changes go into effect, much of the enforcement would stay the same.
“There wouldn’t really be a change in enforcement,” said Gonzalez.
The Student Affairs Division hopes to be more in line with safer and more positive practices.
“There’s evidence to show the more strict you are with your alcohol policies, the more strict you are with enforcement, and with the sanctions, that it does work to change the culture on campuses,” said Gonzalez.
By Rachel Kimmel, Staff Writer
kimmelrp18@bonaventure.edu
