The photo is of a Sewanee party last weekend where IDs and wristbands were used.
Brendan Downes
News Editor
Despite the bad weather, parents’ weekend was business as usual. It’s a familiar scene for Sewanee students—a Saturday night where the music is loud, the air is cool, and students with beer cans and solo cups in their hands pass to and fro through an unguarded fraternity doorway. But this unmanned door and the lack of paper wristbands symbolize something different this year.
In mid-August, a new event policy was emailed to students. It was soon thereafter revised following vocal concerns and criticism from students, alumni, and advisors alike. Objections were raised regarding a lack of student input in designing and implementing the new policy. This uproar led to an almost immediate decision to revise the event policy.
The Recognized Student Event Policy, which has been credited to the late Assistant Dean Kyle Gallagher, went through revisions by Dean of Students Erica Howard, Associate Dean of Students Emily Perrin Britt, and the Office of Student Involvement before being reintroduced on September 10.
Every student I talked to said that the new policy is not being adopted seamlessly by student organizations and that the new rules are being applied somewhat randomly and inconsistently across different BYOB events. While wristbands were noticeably absent from a party hosted by one of Sewanee’s Greek organizations, at other parties, students say that many attendees are receiving wristbands designating them as over 21 regardless of their age. Students said that there is a reluctance to fully adopt these new policies by Greek Life because current leaders of Sewanee Greek organizations have never had to work within these particular boundaries before.
When the new event policy was sent out in August, students, parents, alumni, and advisors expressed concern over the potential legal liability it placed on student event monitors at BYOB events was a major concern vocalized by the community. Those involved with student organizations who commonly host events with alcohol noted that the policy required their event monitors to be put in situations that could be legally fraught and even unsafe. Student event monitors were asked to not only check IDs at BYOB events but also to collect beverages brought by student attendees of legal drinking age and to time attendees’ drinks so that their consumption would not surpass two drinks per hour. Students said that making student event monitors responsible for managing and doling out other students’ drinks was dangerous for both those attending and those monitoring the event. Students also noted that the application of this policy at Sewanee seemed impractical given that the policy did not provide elaborate details on where and how to confiscate drinks.
Another controversial aspect of the policy was the rule that some interpreted as trying to govern–and potentially reprimand–drinking by members of student organizations during fall, winter, spring and summer breaks. These requirements were dropped from or diminished in the revised policy.
Student leaders such as McClain Brooks (C’ 25) and Moses Vincent III (C’ 25), the President and Vice President of the Student Government Association respectively, challenged the administration’s claims that The Office of Student Involvement worked with students to create the initial policy presented in August. “I believe the initial lack of student involvement in the drafting and approval process of the event policy contributed significantly to the frustrations at the beginning of this year. However, after revisions were made and student input was incorporated, there was a noticeable shift, with all parties seeming more content with the outcome,” said Brooks.
Brooks intends to advocate for the inclusion of more student input if the policy receives another revision. “The SGA remains committed to ensuring that student perspectives play a central role in shaping future revisions of the event policy, particularly as it relates to student organizations. We hope to collect feedback from students within organizations that are affected by the event policy,” said Brooks. Like other students on campus, she said the application of certain rules within the new policy is unrealistic. “One key issue raised has been the wristband requirement for students who are 21+, and we have been collaborating with the IFC and ISC to brainstorm more practical, sustainable alternatives that will reduce waste while also improving student satisfaction.”
Advisors of Sewanee’s Greek organizations are also finding faults with the realistic application of some new requirements, but for some, the revised policy is a welcome improvement. “The revised policy isn’t perfect, but it’s a welcome step forward,” said one advisor who spoke on condition of anonymity. “An alcohol policy will only succeed if it is crafted with student input and advisors’ help. We want to encourage responsibility among all Sewanee students and support the University’s goal of fostering EQB; otherwise we wouldn’t volunteer for this work. We can’t be effective if we aren’t asked to help draft realistic policies that will actually work for Sewanee.”
After the new policy introduced just before the start of the fall semester was pulled back for revision, scheduled event monitor training sessions were postponed by Sewanee’s Office of Student Involvement. To avoid the cancellation of events, Donald Abels, Director of Greek Life, hosted an impromptu training session required for all event monitors and their groups. “Multiple Greek organizations had events scheduled that weekend, so I did a special event training for them so they could have those events.” The session in Blackman Auditorium was so packed that students crammed onto stairwells and filled spaces across the back of the room. “There were around 359 people there,” Abels said. “It was as good as it could be with that many people in one room.”
Given that fraternities and sororities host weekly events with alcohol, the adoption of a new set of guidelines impacts Greek Life more than the other Sewanee student organizations. Abels said that means Greek leaders will play key roles in upholding the new rules at their events but across the campus as a whole. “From my perspective, officers that are also serving as event monitors are viewed as the head monitor, so in the event of a crisis, an event monitor can go to the head monitor in charge [of the event],” said Abels. Presidents and Social Chairs of Greek organizations were required to attend an event policy training that explained their roles within the new event policy framework.
Abels said the new event policy offers Sewanee’s student organizations a better set of tools for hosting successful events within clear guidelines. For example, he said, “Sewanee’s old alcohol-and-events policy also required wristbands for attendees over 21 who wanted to bring alcoholic beverages. A lot of people didn’t know that, and this policy, after it’s been revised, provides language on how to implement the wristbands.”
In the Recognized Student Organization Event Policy, the Office of Student Involvement cites Sewanee’s commitment to Ecce Quam Bonum as reasons for a clarified set of rules and standards.
As students adjust to the new policy, it remains to be seen whether the latest effort to regulate drinking on the Mountain will diminish Sewanee’s reputation as a “work hard/play hard” party school. The Princeton Review ranked Sewanee 17th on a list of how “widely beer is used” on university campuses across the US. According to a recent survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal, Sewanee is the 10th best party school in the country. Additionally, more than half of the colleges in the top 10 are located in the South.
Regarding the Wall Street Journal’s list and its implication for prospective students, Vice-Chancellor Pearigen said, “I expect that this ranking is one of many sources that are considered, and I hope it will not discourage outstanding students from considering Sewanee. I always recommend that students visit campus and experience Sewanee for themselves, and that they speak with students, faculty, and alumni to get as many varied inputs as possible as they make their decision.”
The Recognized Student Organization Event Policy can be found here.