College Sets New Alcohol Policy; Under-21 Drinking Ban Official

The College issued a new liquor policy yesterday banning all underage drinking and detailing the enforcement procedures for the new guidelines.

The new rules, which end a two week moratorium on drinking, are take effect today.

The policy, handed down after yesterday's meeting between the house masters and Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57, deals only with the procedures for the underage ban. No decision was made on last week's Undergraduate Council's proposals on methods of maintaining house spirit and unity.

The new policy includes six provisions. (See box at right).

Under the rules a student using a false form of I.D. could be disciplined.

The new policy applies to public parties sponsored by house committees, parties held in public areas, and masters' open houses. Private parties can continue to serve alcohol.

Trial Basis

However, the new policy is on a trial basis only, said Thomas A. Dingman '67, assistant dean of the College for the House System.

"The masters are going into this with the hope that this will work. If there is widespread non-compliance they have no alternative but to shut it down" and ban all alcohol on campus, Dingman said.

"We are depending on this thing working, and if it doesn't we'll have to review it," said Jewett. "We are not doing this as a fake cover."

Jewett said there would be an informal watch on the success of the underage ban.

New College Drinking Regulations

*At public functions students will be required to show proof of age with Harvard I.D. and a driver's license or other acceptable identification. Non-Harvard students would have to show a driver's license and another form of I.D.

*House committee members or master-approved monitors will supervise the carding. Masters and tutors will not card.

*A limit on the number of guests allowed at in-house parties will be determined by masters.

* Alcohol must be served in an illuminated area separate from serving places for non-alcoholic beverages.

*Master-approved, non-student supervision will ordinarily be required at parties, though not necessarily at the bar.

* House committees and masters can choose to enforce the ban by either stamping the hands of students who can drink or requiring proof of age at the bar.

THE OLD POLICY

*At strictly in-house parties alcohol could be served without checking students' ages.

*Campus-wide, publicized parties could not serve alcohol.

*No party could charge for alcohol.

"The people who are supervising the parties will report to the masters, and I think there will be constant conversation this fall and winter to see if it's acheiving what's intended," said Dingman.

Previously the College allowed strictly in-house parties to serve alcohol without checking students' ages. Publicized campus-wide parties could not serve alcohol, and no admissions charges were allowed.

The new policy only changes the first part of the old policy. However, the masters will review the old provisions banning alcohol at campus-wide parties and charging for liquor.

The College will also continue to investigate proposals made by the Undergraduate Council on methods for maintaining house spirit and unity.

The College moved to change its alcohol policy this fall after the Massachussets state legislature this summer raised the drinking age to 21 in the wake of increasing public scrutiny and vulnerability to liability suits.

House committee chairmen yesterday said the new policy came as no surprise. "This sounds easily like something we can live with and work with," said Dunster House Committee Co-chairman Jonathan E. Klaaren '86.

"We'll have a party this weekend," said North House Committee Chairman James A. Messina '86.

Master Card

The new policy requires that masters card at large open houses because "it was felt that there would be difficulty using an honor system at such large functions," said Dingman.

In response to concerns raised by house committee chairmen that undergraduates would have to card other students, officials said they will consider having non-students check I.D.'s.

In addition the College might look into establishing a pool of available people to supervise the parties, Dingman said.

The College will continue to consider the issue of whether the ban would seriously impair house social life, as committee chairmen have said.

The executive council of masters next week will examine Undergraduate Council proposals that the College establish a sizeable fund to allow houses to sponsor more elaborate parties. In addition the council proposals suggest that allowing campus-wide parties be allowed to serve alcohol and that house committees be allowed to apply for temporary liquor licenses to charge for alcohol at parties.

Those recommendations will also be discussed at a meeting of the student-faculty Committee on House Life