Four prospective students visiting the University Oct. 24 were treated by Emergency Medical Services after excessive alcohol consumption, according to a Bruin Club coordinator. The students, whose overnight visit was organized by the Bruin Club, were staying in Unit 1 in Keeney Quadrangle when they allegedly violated the University's underage drinking policy.
Unit 1 Residential Counselor Shane Reil '09 told The Herald he witnessed some students playing a drinking game in the lounge and broke up the game on Oct. 24. Because he knew that high school student visitors were staying in the residence hall that night, Reil said he was unsure who among those involved were current students and who were visitors, though he recognized some and not others.
Later that night, Oliver Staehelin '08, overnight hosting coordinator for the Bruin Club, was called and informed that some Keeney residents had allegedly provided alcohol to the prospective students, he said. Four prospective students required treatment from EMS because of their alcohol consumption, he said.
Because there are various accounts of what happened, it is unclear who provided the alcohol, which students were treated by EMS and how much alcohol was consumed, Staehelin said. He added that he doesn't fault any Brown students in particular for the incident, though he added. "They should have conveyed the point to prospective students that alcohol and drug abuse while on campus was not OK."
"Students should not be providing alcohol to prospectives," Staehelin said. "The University does not take this lightly."
Reil, who was unaware of the situation until he was informed at 2 a.m. that four visitors had been treated by EMS, said the responsibility should not lie with Brown student hosts. "It's important to remember that (prospective students) are not kids. ... Many of them are older than a lot of the students on our floor. It's on them to take the initiative to watch what they are drinking," he said.
All student visitors to the University, along with their parents, must read and sign a permission and medical release form before being allowed to stay overnight. This document explicitly states that, as a guest of the University, the visitor is required to abide by its rules and regulations, which entail compliance with Rhode Island state law and the Standards of Student Conduct. These regulations prohibit the use of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21. The release also informs visitors that if they are caught breaking University rules, their parents and secondary schools will be notified.
The hosting student is also sent a packet of information about the guidelines of hosting, said Dean of Admission Jim Miller '73.
According to the packet, the purpose of the program is to give prospective students an idea of what a typical "night in the life of a Brown student" is like and also makes clear to hosts that the visitors do not expect to be entertained.
The packet states that hosts are "not responsible for prospective students' individual actions" but reminds hosts to "watch out for these students" because of their age and the diversity of their backgrounds.
According to Ellen Wong '10, a unit representative for Keeney who organizes student hosts, as long as a student host is not involved with a visitor's rule violation, it is not the host's responsibility. "We basically need to make sure the pre-frosh are safe and don't break any University rules, i.e. drinking, but unit reps and hosts won't be responsible if, for example, a pre-frosh goes out on their own to a party, drinks, then gets EMS'd," Wong wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.
The release form signed by visiting students clearly states that any negative or illegal behavior on the part of the student during his or her campus visit will be considered during the process of application for admittance to the University.
Miller, who did not comment specifically on the Oct. 24 incident, said a student caught breaking University rules would not be prohibited from submitting an application.
Staehelin said the overnight hosting program is generally very successful, and he hopes the recent incident does not discourage students from acting as hosts. "All the prospective students that I get feedback from have a great time here and end up applying," he said.
Miller agreed, saying the program is an important component of recruitment efforts. He said occurrences such as last Tuesday's are not common. "I've only been here for a year," he said, "but I see this as an anomalous event. I think our hosts actually do a very good job."
