A coalition of student leaders held a press conference Tuesday evening at Memorial Union to voice its opposition to a proposed alcohol-consumption policy.
The current policy draft includes several provisions to limit student groups from serving alcohol at certain events and board meetings.
The students targeted the Office of the Dean of Students and the Student Organization Office, which originally drafted the initiative.
The press conference was a follow-up to a meeting Monday night where students planned to challenge the UW administration over its planned policy.
Student leaders said the proposed policy threatens student involvement in campus organizations.
""It is absurd that a student should face disciplinary action only because they are involved in a student organization,"" said Alex Grace, director of the Distinguished Lecture Series Committee.
Mitra Jalali, director of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Community Service, said since the policy fails to specify what constitutes a student group or group event, it could accidentally subject students to ""potential severe academic consequences.""
Wisconsin Union President and UW-Madison senior Shayna Hetzel also objected to the ""vague"" terminology of the draft.
""We're really talking about the ambiguity in this policy because it can be interpreted and misinterpreted in so many ways,"" she said.
Hetzel said the policy requires more planning and discussion before it is finalized because its current form could severely hurt campus events such as open-bar receptions or entertainment events.
""I think we need to move back in the other direction which was for pro-safety, pro-mixed age entertainment,"" said Ald. Austin King, District 8, referencing the Performing Arts Venue License, which allows underage people to attend, but not drink, at certain entertainment events.
""It's important to identify that we aren't here to say that we're above the law, that underage drinking is okay or that we endorse binge drinking,"" Hetzel said. ""But we do think that there needs to be more forethought and messaging of a policy.""
District 8 alder candidate Eli Judge said the policy should also support current student awareness programs.
""If the mood of the message is to increase feelings of safety for students, then we should support organizations already in place like PACE or the Langdon Watch Program,"" Judge said.
Though he declined to cite specific cases of alcohol-related injury, Interim Associate Dean of Students Elton Crim said the focus of the proposal should always be safety.
""If there's a way to craft a policy that helps improve safety for students as well as deals with some of the liability issues, then we would like to do that,"" Crim said.
