Put down that beer and trade it for an ice cold soda—the new alcohol policy brought forth by the Office of the Dean of Students and the Student Organization Office looks to severely limit alcohol consumption among student groups. At least that is what the controversy makes it seem like so far.
The alcohol policy, which is now in its seventh draft, consists of 15 rules regarding student groups holding events where alcohol is served. Rules range from banning kegs and wop to prohibiting alcohol at group meetings ""unless everyone is 21 years of age or older.""
In a meeting Monday night at Memorial Union, students protested the policy and, with tongue-in-cheek irony, consumed pitchers of beer at the event. Although everyone who drank was of legal drinking age, the protesters wished to show how the meeting would violate the new alcohol policy.
We agree with those protesting this policy that some of the rules are far too strict. The university has no place in restricting alcohol consumption for members of legal age. Also, not allowing any references to alcohol in the advertising of an event is too drastic as it would hinder any music events hosted at Memorial Union.
Ultimately, we believe some aspects of the policy are too broad. By using terms such as ""student groups"" and ""board meetings"" it is hard to see where the line will be drawn when it comes to official events. We do not, however, see any reason why a different form of the alcohol policy could not be drafted in the future.
According to Elton Crim, interim associate dean of students, UW-Madison must look at this from a liability standpoint. If a student consumes alcohol at a student group event and gets injured, the university is ultimately liable. Many other Big Ten universities already have some type of liability policy in place and it seems logical UW-Madison should follow.
Unfortunately, so far the proposal amounts to nothing more than a blanket policy drawn from the one imposed on the UW Greek system. A more reasonable policy should focus solely on limiting underage drinking and not penalize those members of the group who are of age.
What we need to see now is active student participation in forming a new draft of the policy. Crim has already stated he is willing to sit down with student organizations and draft a policy acceptable to all sides. Hopefully by talking to students a compromise can be made.
