The University's review of social and alcohol policies could result in changes that curb the freedom of students and student groups in time for Spring Weekend in April, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene told The Herald Monday.
Though alcohol and social event policies have long been a concern of University officials, the policies jumped to the top of the administration's agenda after Queer Alliance's Sex Power God party Nov. 12 and a melee on the Main Green the preceding evening that ended with shots being fired.
Though it is too early to predict the outcome of the current review, the Campus Life Advisory Board met Friday for a preliminary discussion of possible policy changes. Members of the board, which includes administrators, faculty and students, asked "challenging questions" about why the University relies primarily on students to staff social events and suggested the possibility of increasing administrative oversight of social functions or hiring outside event management, which is currently used for athletic events, Greene said.
Advisory board members also suggested "increased staffing" in residence halls to address the problem of binge drinking prior to attending social functions - commonly called "pre-gaming" - but it's not clear what increased residential hall oversight might entail, Greene added.
Greene said he favors the responsibility the current policy gives to students, but "my faith in that has been tested."
"When we have evidence that students aren't making the best use of the freedom they have ... we need to think about whether the current system is sustainable or whether we need to do something different," Greene said.
"One of the things that makes Brown such a great school is the amount of leadership and independence students have when organizing events," said Brian Bidadi '06, president of the Undergradu-ate Council of Students. "It is disappointing to see that students may lose some of that ability."
Bidadi said he hopes that the policy review committees "won't automatically come in and restrict student practices" but instead construct creative solutions to ensure student safety while maintaining the autonomy student groups "have come to expect."
Reactionary policies that are too restrictive would be worse, Bidadi said, because they would drive parties underground, where there is no administrative oversight or student event management and a reluctance to call emergency medical services for intoxicated students.
Greek Council Chair Meghan Gill '06 said a key problem encountered by fraternities and sororities is the lines that form outside parties, where students have to wait for other partygoers to leave to ensure that the venue doesn't violate fire code regulations concerning capacity. The crowds outside events are sometimes difficult for event managers to handle, Gill said.
According to Gill, Department of Public Safety officers have tried to increase their visibility around the Greek Houses in the weekends since Sex Power God.
No alcohol was served at Sex Power God, but the significant number of students at the event who required emergency medical attention has been blamed on binge drinking before the party.
The melee the night before Sex Power God took place when about 400 people were gathered on the Main Green and in Sayles Hall, where a party co-sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha and the Brotherhood was coming to an end. After various verbal arguments, fistfights erupted and one individual fired several shots before running away.
The party was advertised on a non-University Web site and attracted non-Brown students, many of whom were in Providence that weekend for a national dance competition. The Web site of the dance competition called the party in Sayles this year's "mega pre-party" without the consent of the student groups organizing the function.
It is not clear who was responsible for advertising the party to those outside of the Brown community. Student life deans are currently investigating the role played by Alpha Phi Alpha, the Brotherhood and the Queer Alliance in the weekend's events.
Though the altercations on the Main Green have not spurred as much discussion among students as Sex Power God - largely because they did not receive the widespread media attention given to Sex Power God - Greene said they still raise a number of serious concerns. The questions prompted by the incidents include how events should be promoted and staffed and how admission should be restricted.
The perpetrator who fired shots by the Main Green was not affiliated with the University, and Greene said previous incidents involving weapons on campus also involved outsiders.
Some colleges and universities make partygoers pass through metal detectors. "It is not a very appealing thought that we would have to be in that position. ... But the proliferation of guns in the community is something that we need to be concerned about," Greene said.
Committees charged to review policies
The creation of an ad hoc committee to review the social events policy is currently in the works. According to the committee's charge, it will review "the problem of binge drinking (and) pre-gaming, violent behavior and the introduction of weapons into the community" and will consider which campus venues are best suited for large-scale social functions.
The committee will also consider the appropriate use of Sayles Hall, where Sex Power God was held. University officials decided last month to prohibit loud social functions in the building for the rest of the semester, resulting in a shuffling of event venues and the cancellation of at least one function, a party organized by the first-year Class Coordinating Board.
"We need to make sure we protect Sayles and that we use it for appropriate events. At the same time, it's clear that we have a shortage of large venues for student social events," Greene said.
The committee's roster is not yet complete, but its membership will total between 15 and 20 people and include faculty and administrators from the Office of Student Life, the Student Activities Office and DPS and student leaders from UCS, Greek Council and other student groups.
Bidadi praised the committee's chair, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean for Student Life Margaret Klawunn, and Director of Student Activities Ricky Gresh for their understanding of student life and their efforts to maintain policies that give students responsibility while keeping them safe.
The ad hoc committee will work in collaboration with the existing Campus Life Advisory Board Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which will review the University's alcohol policy.
"The issue of pre-gaming is becoming an increasing concern at colleges around the country," said Nancy Barnett, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies and the chair of the subcommittee on alcohol and other drugs.
Few empirical studies of pre-gaming have been conducted, Barnett said, but it is commonly agreed that the practice is dangerous because it involves consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time.
The ad hoc committee reviewing social policies is due to release a final report of policy recommendations in February. Its findings will be considered by the Campus Life Advisory Board, top University officials and the Corporation's campus life committee at its February meeting. Greene said he hopes policy changes are in place by Spring Weekend, which will begin April 23.
Barnett said recommendations regarding the alcohol policy won't come as quickly as social policy changes, in part because her committee's scope - which ranges from prevention techniques to enforcement mechanisms - is broader than that of the social policy committee and concerns many different constituencies on campus.
Response from parents, alums
Sex Power God landed the University in the national spotlight after footage from the party was aired on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" on Nov. 14. The Providence Journal and all of the Providence TV news stations also reported on the Queer Alliance party.
Greene said he received "dozens" of e-mails and letters from parents and alums who heard about Sex Power God and the melee on the Main Green. Though he never counted the messages, he estimated that they totalled between 20 and 100.
"It was very mixed. ... Some people provided very thoughtful responses, and some were angry. It was all over the place," he said.
Greene said many parents and alums expressed concern about alcohol abuse. "They see students who are dying around the country and are very worried that it will happen at Brown," he said.
Others wrote to defend the student groups that organize social functions and to support the University's respect for students.
Some alums were "offended by the use of Sayles Hall for social events." For many alums, Sayles is a place where they attended chapel, lectures and important academic functions, and they don't see it as an appropriate venue for parties, Greene said.
Greene said other parents and alums wrote that "Brown has its moral compass in the wrong place," suggesting that the University should "speak out against immoral actions" and give less freedom to student groups.
