Student leaders aim to educate on alcohol polices
It has been 10 years since Greek Life changed alcohol policies.
Published Feb. 23, 2010
Student leaders met with Wellness Resource Center Director Kim Dude to discuss alcohol policies on campus and in Greek Life.
"We're looking to address the dry campus issue and Greektown being dry," Missouri Students Association President Tim Noce said. "I know there is a lot of confusion as to why we can drink on football game days or events."
Noce organized the meeting, and Panhellenic Association President Caitlin Mundschenk and MSA Director of Student Communications Andy Chambers attended.
Members of the Interfraternity Council and Residence Halls Association were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, Noce said.
Every two years the Missouri government asks the university to review its alcohol policies and their effectiveness, Noce said.
As of right now, the policy states there is no alcohol allowed on campus unless the chancellor gives permission. Generally, this applies to the six or seven home football game days and any other event the chancellor approves.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Greek Life changing its policies to mandate members to stop drinking in the houses and require a third party vendor, Chambers said.
"If you talk to anyone in Greek Life, the policies they've put in place have benefited Greek Life as a whole," Chambers said.
The three agreed bringing the drinking age down or taking away the dry campus rules was not the agenda of the meeting. They aim to facilitate group meetings to educate students on the subject of alcohol policies and feel it is better to have student representatives involved rather than not, Chambers said.
"The majority of the policies in place for the Greek community are set by the chapter,” Mundschenk said. “As far as PHA goes, all chapters are substance and alcohol free.”
There have not been any issues regarding the alcohol policies and Greek Life, Mundschenk said. Greek houses in Greektown and on College Avenue are not considered to be on campus, and their drinking policies come from the PHA and IFC governing bodies.
"They've talked about doing a series of discussion sessions from different aspects of the campus," Mundschenk said. Noce said he has encountered many students who are discontent with the alcohol policies but does not necessarily have a specific agenda other than getting students involved in the discussion.
During the town hall meeting held to discuss lowering the drinking age earlier this semester, Dude presented information suggesting an increase in safety since the 21-year-old drinking age was established. After the meeting, a majority of students in attendance voted in agreement with the drinking age laws.
"This has nothing to do with bringing the drinking age down," Noce said. "I felt that the undertone of it was the policies we have set up and that the status quo isn't working."
1:19 p.m., Feb. 25, 2010
T said:
"If you talk to anyone in Greek Life, the policies they've put in place have benefited Greek Life as a whole" Do you really believe this statement? There are many points that can be made to disprove this but here is a big one. Requring social events to be somewhere other than an actual Fraternity or Sorority house makes no sense at all. I think everyone would agree that being able to walk home is much safer than relying on a "sober" driver or packing 100 people into a bus.