Having presented its recommendations to Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene on Tuesday, the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Social Events Policy and Procedure will have a final version of its report ready today. The nearly 20-page document includes recommendations for increased monitoring of students during peak "pre-gaming" hours and the availability of metal detectors for potentially dangerous events.
The committee formed after two on-campus events associated with excessive drinking, fighting and violence in November 2005 - including Queer Alliance's annual Sex Power God party, which appeared on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" after host Bill O'Reilly sent a reporter to the event. The committee, which included University administrators, staff and representatives from several student groups, met six times between November 2005 and March 2006.
There is no timeline in place for adopting the committee's recommendations; instead, Greene said he is looking forward to soliciting feedback about the report from as many members of the University community as possible.
"We hope to begin vetting this report very widely this week and I'm curious to hear what people think of it," he said.
The first recommendation in the committee's report is the permanent adoption of the Interim Social Function Policies introduced after the incidents of last November. These changes to the University's social function policies - which were last amended in 1996 - include an additional weekend event manager, no re-admission for events drawing over 300 people, a mandatory drink charge for Class F parties and "more specific recommendations for ticket sales and admission procedures," according to the report.
As for specific recommendations about alcohol use on campus, the committee deferred largely to the Campus Life Advisory Board's Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which is currently conducting a review of alcohol use at University social events. That committee's report is scheduled for release by the end of the semester.
The committee did, however, suggest increased monitoring of alcohol use in residence halls during peak hours for "pre-gaming," which were defined as occurring between 9 and 11 p.m. on weekends. One aim of this measure is to prevent sexual assault. The report also cites a need for change in the "culture of admissions" to events, with more stringent insistence that intoxicated individuals not be admitted to on-campus social functions. The report recommends developing a guide for managers to evaluate intoxication.
The committee also addressed the need for increased security at events, determining that "the difficulty of dealing with long lines outside events and disruptive behavior as people leave events (is) beyond the purview of student hosts" and should instead be relegated to Department of Public Safety officers assigned to these events. For larger events, the University would hire a contract security service.
The committee also recommended that metal detectors and wands be available to campus groups. These would either be purchased by the University or rented when there are concerns about safety at an event. Sworn DPS officers must be present when wands or detectors are in use, and bag searches "could be another option," according to Greene.
"I think a lot of students and others are accustomed to going to concerts or sporting events and going through metal detectors or having their bags searched - it's becoming increasingly common at large social gatherings," Greene said. He added, "It's hard to know" which events would necessitate metal detectors, wands or bag searches.
"(It is) actually a little distressing to think we've come to a point where we need to be thinking about that, particularly in terms of protecting the community from individuals who might bring weapons on campus, and I don't know ... whether (metal detectors or bag searches) would be effective for the types of incidents we've seen in the past," Greene said, referring to an incident when shots were fired on the Main Green the night before Sex Power God.
The committee stressed the need for more thorough pre-event planning, suggesting specifically the development of a handbook for event planners, standard plans for campus venues and a system through which experienced students can help new student group leaders plan events. The report expressed concern over whether sufficient and adequate social event space currently exists on campus, recommending that residential lounges be renovated over the summer to create appealing common spaces for medium-sized public gatherings in residence halls.
The committee agreed that students would benefit from additional oversight in residence halls and the leadership of older students. It recommended revising the training of Residential Peer Leaders, highlighting the need to build these counselors' skills to "intervene in disruptive behaviors, including the misuse of alcohol" and suggesting an increased presence of upperclassmen in counseling programs.
Finally, the committee noted the recommendations in its report will require additional University resources to implement - for example, hiring professional security or developing additional social event space. The committee expressed interest in working with the appropriate offices to make resources available for the implementation of its recommendations.
