Southern Methodist University - Rotunda Yearbook (University Park, TX)

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fl at By Susan Evans RE IEW:0 EYEAR OF DRY CAMP S ln the past 15 years, SMU's alcohol policy has come full circle from first legalizing alcohol in 1971 to today's system. We think our policy is now equivalent, if not a little broader, than it was in 1971, said jim Caswell, dean of student life and a member of the committee which wrote the first alcohol policy. For the first 55 years of its existence, SMU forbade the consumption or possession of beverage alcohol anywhere on the campus, This was in accordance with the traditional stand of the Methodist church against alcohol. The old policy also reflected the fact that Texas state law at that time prohibited the consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages by anyone under 21 years of age, unless he were with an adult parent, guar- dian or spouse. In 1969, the SMU policy came under attack when the student senate, University Men and Associated Women Students, submitted a request to the Faculty Rules and Regulations Committee that asked for alcohol to be legalized on campus for those 21 years or older. The committee rejected that proposal, but the next year the question arose again. A survey of 5000 students taken in 1971 yielded the following result: 83 percent of those polled said alcohol should be allowed somewhere on campus. Another survey showed that 62 percent of the faculty favored a change in the policy then in effect. On March 23, 1971, the University Assembly unanimously approved a resolution to allow possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages, except in public areas, on the campus, The suggested policy also stated that the university discourages the use of intoxicants at all times. The Board of Trustees approved the new policy in May, 1971, and it became effective the following fall. At that time, with the 21-year-old drinking age, only 18 percent of SMU students were legally able to consume alcohol. However, in 1973, Texas lowered its drinking age to 18. During the 1975-76 school year, the university expanded the defini- tion of private areas to include the public areas of fraternity and sorority houses. Caswell said that expansion evolved through the latter part of the '70s and into the '80s until fraternity houses turned into party houses. What we had was the evolving over time of small, date party situa- tions in the house into sort of mass, all-school parties that, in some cases, became Yale Blvd. parties, said Caswell. All such parties ended abruptly Sept. 10, 1984, when Walter Snickenberger, vice president for student affairs, announced an alcohol moratorium: 1 am declaring a moratorium on the consumption of alcoholic beverages in all common areas of fraternityfsorority houses and a cessa- tion of any fraternityfsorority social events at which alcoholic beverages are served, beginning Sept. 1 l, 1984, and to remain in effect thereafter, pending the recommendations of a university-wide review committee which 1 will appoint . . . The committee will be asked to submit its final report on or before Nov. 1, l984. For the next two months, in accordance with the moratorium, alcohol was prohibited in common areas of fraternityjsorority houses and at all campus social occasions although students were still allowed to consume in their own rooms. On Nov. 12, Snickenberger delivered an interim policy to the cam- pus and announced that L. Donald Shields, university president, would establish a committee to re-examine the alcohol policy at SMU. The interim policy provided for on-campus social events at which alcohol could be served under certain circumstances, most of which in- volved monitoring the number of people at the party and dispensing alcohol only to students over 19 years of age. Throughout the spring, an alcohol review committee worked to outline a new policy for SMU to replace the interim guidelines. With the knowledge that the drinking age in Texas will revert to 21 in Sept. 1986, the university implemented a final version of the alcohol policy in the fall of 1985. The policy permits the possession and consumption of alcohol in in- dividual residential roomsf' It also allows alcohol to be served on cam- pus on exceptional occasions, with the approval of the university president or his designee. However, the policy does state: In conscience and in recognition of the university's heritage as an institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we urge community members to abstain from the use of all alcoholic beverages. It also admonishes community members to maintain self-control and to uphold their dignity and that of the university at all times in all places . . . Intoxication and alcohol abuse mitigate against the spirit of university and community and will not be tolerated. Caswell said the new policy should provide a smooth transition into fall of 1986 when, as in 1971, the majority of the campus will be under the legal drinking age. Although the coming transition may prove smooth for the campus, many students may have questioned the abruptness with which the university changed its policies with the moratorium in the fall of 1984. It really went from black to white or night to day, it was a drastic ac- tion on the part of the university administration, and it was met with utter shock by the student body as a whole, said Bill Koch, president of the student body. From a student's perspective, I really felt slapped in the face. However, Koch echoed both Snickenberger and Caswe1l's descrip- tions of the parties on fraternity row the weekend before the moratorium as out of hand. Finally there was just one too many bottles thrown at policemen, said Snickenberger. Snickenberger pointed out that the moratorium addressed a specific problem, but that the review of the overall alcohol policy which parallel- ed the interim policy came out of concern over the increase in the drink- ing age in Texas to 21. Snickenberger also said that all changes in the alcohol policy should be looked at in the context of increasing litigation, of fraternities, in- dividuals and institutions increasingly being held responsible for ex- cesses that involve alcohol abuse. Such changes have provoked a number of reactions, ranging from what Caswell described as a quiet campus after the moratorium to what Koch said was a gloomy and confused student body. Bill Caffee, director of the SMU Department of Public Safety, said there has been a 54 percent drop in the number of alcohol-related in- cidents in the past year. The DPS stated in its annual report that the reduction in alcohol- related incidents is believed to be due to the new university alcohol policy. However, DPS reports deal only with the SMU campus. Koch said that students will still go to Greenville Ave. to drink. The nature of parties is not going to change, the location is, he said. Koch said he considered the new policy naive because it overlooks the fact that students will continue to drink, simply not on campus. On the other hand, Koch said that now when students do come together on campus and alcohol is served, it is served in a responsible environment. Such an environment need no longer be restricted to the Greek system, either, which Caswell said was one of the intentions of the com- mittee which drafted the new policy. He said the committee wanted to implement a system which would allow alcohol to be served at special occasions by any group on campus, Greek or not. Such equality between the sororities, fraternities and other campus organizations comes at some cost, though. Koch said he felt the fact that the fraternities can no longer have all- school parties on campus limits the chances for independents and Greeks to come in contact. However, in light of the fact that by next fall 75 percent of the cam- pus will be under the legal drinking age, we had no choice, said Snickenberger. ' I think we just have to go through this period of transition when people who have experienced one set of circumstances are now experien- cing another, said Koch. Koch said that in five years, with the new student center, he thought students' social lives will become much more campus-oriented. Organizations such as Program Council are already planning toward such a time when underage students will want activities on the weekend, said Kathy Rowe, associate director of student activities. Koch described the alcohol situation in terms of a pendulum swing- ing back and forth. Twenty years ago, you couldn't drink on the SMU campus . . . That was one extreme, and two years ago was the other extreme, he said. Now we're coming back to somewhere in the middle.

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