Few Freshmen Show to Discuss Alcohol

Social spaces and the ban on alcohol in Yard dorms were the main topics of discussion at a sparsely attended freshman-specific discussion Wednesday night on the College’s alcohol policy.

Six students—four of whom were freshman Undergraduate Council representatives—and six administrators participated in the meeting, which was meant to solicit student opinions that would contribute to the decisions of the College’s recently established alcohol policy committee.

Despite the small turnout, students and administrators interviewed said they felt the environment was conducive to a productive and candid conversation.

“I heard some good things here, even though it was a small sample size,” Dean of Student Life Suzy M. Nelson said. “I didn’t feel that people held back. I felt they were honest about what’s going on.”

The discussion touched on a variety of subjects, ranging from the freshman-proctor relationship to the dearth of social space available to freshmen.

“It definitely made me more aware of how much of a pickle the school is in in terms of what position they can take,” said Jason G. Zhang ’15, a UC representative from Ivy Yard. “They can’t really go against the law.”

According to Elm Yard Resident Dean Sue Brown, administrators elected not to publicize the event over Yard-specific email lists out of concern that the response might become overwhelming. Instead, they promoted the “Forum on Harvard College Alcohol Policy” over the 2015 events email list and through emails from each Yard’s UC representatives.

Elm Yard UC representative Darragh J. Nolan ’15 expressed concerns that students may have been deterred by the event’s characterization as a “forum” and approached Brown after the meeting about the possibility of holding additional freshman-centric alcohol meetings in the future.

“I would be really happy to facilitate or co-facilitate another group,” Brown said. “We love to have student input.”

Yesterday’s meeting was the second in a series of discussions that the College will hold with the student body over the coming semester as it plows ahead toward a potential overhaul of its current alcohol policy.

Discussions will be held with students from several Houses at a time. Wednesday’s meeting was the Class of 2015’s opportunity to participate in the dialogue.

When the alcohol policy committee was first formed last semester, none of its members represented the freshman perspective, according to Brown.

Both she and Colin J. Donovan ’11—a proctor in Thayer who served on the alcohol policy committee as the Quincy House Committee Co-Chair last year—personally reached out to Nelson and requested that they be included as members of the committee for the coming year.

Harvard’s alcohol policy has long been unpopular among students—especially for freshmen, who under the current rules are not allowed to have any alcohol in their dorms.

Administrators recognize that for many Harvard students, the first year serves as their first experience with drinking and can define their relationship with alcohol throughout their college years.

During an interview with The Crimson in March, Dean of Freshman Thomas A. Dingman ’67 said that a number of students called the ban on alcohol in the Yard “way too strict” in last year’s freshman survey.

According to Nelson, the College is interested in reevaluating the current alcohol policy in the context of creating a healthy social scene, while still staying within the boundaries of the law.

Nelson said that student input from the meetings will be sent to the alcohol policy committee, which will draft a preliminary version of the updated policy for review and approval by Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds.

—Staff writer Hana N. Rouse can be reached at hrouse@college.harvard.edu.