The reduced number of students on campus this term has revealed flaws in the College's alcohol policy.
The policy, which took effect at the end of Winter term, is based on a mathematical formula and hinges on the number of students on campus who are of legal drinking age.
If the policy is followed to the letter, then even if every student of legal drinking age on campus were expected to attend a party in a Greek house, there could be no more than a total of three and a half kegs on campus regardless of how many Greek organizations register parties.
So far no more than two or three parties have been registered on any given night and the number of kegs on campus has not exceeded three and a half on any night.
But Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deb Reinders said there is no cap on the number of parties that can go on in one night and hypothetically it is possible for the number of kegs on campus to exceed three and a half, according to Reinders.
"When the alcohol policy is reviewed, that is something that the committee should look at," Reinders said.
During the regular school year, the formula for the number of kegs allowed at a Greek house party depends on the number of legal drinkers expected throughout the night multiplied by the number of hours the party is expected to last. That number is then divided by 168, the number of beers in a keg, according to ORL, revealing the number of kegs a house is allowed to purchase.
"The principle behind the policy was one beer per hour per person," Reinders said.
According to Reinders, 10 percent of students enrolled this summer are 21 or older. There are 1,118 students enrolled with approximately 112 of legal drinking age.
In order to compensate for the small number of legal drinkers, the formula has been amended. Because of the small number of students on campus, the number of people expected at each party is lower, averaging between 300 and 400, in contrast to 500-700 during the regular school year, according to Chris Donley '95, the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the Interfraternity Council Social Chair.
Under the policy, Greek houses figure 10 percent of students expected at parties will be of legal drinking age. A fraternity expecting 400 people throughout the night would multiply 40 (10 percent of 400) by the number of hours -- which in terms of alcohol cannot exceed five -- and then divide by 168.
With the introduction of half kegs, known as "pony kegs," there is less rounding out in the numbers, Donley said.
The problem arises because students of legal drinking age can only be at one party at any given time. If every legal age drinker were expected to be at a Dartmouth party for all five hours of a night, to allow one beer per person per hour, the entire campus could only serve a total of 560 beers or approximately three and a half kegs.
"To say that one beer is consumed per hour is an average," IFC President Scott Swenson '95 said. "You have to establish some formula and this was the best suggested way of doing that."
The alcohol policy was reviewed this spring with the original social procedure policy committee that developed the CFSC social procedures that allowed kegs back on campus, according to Reinders. "The policy will be reviewed again by administrators and students this summer."
"The policy is still in its infancy stages, but it's gradually moving forward," Reinders said.
One of the moves forward is that "half the amount of alcohol is now being served in comparison to last year this time," Donley said.
In order to lessen the liabilities of houses holding parties, TIPS, a national non-profit organization which advises establishments serving alcohol, held a program for Dartmouth's Greek community this week.
At least three members of each house attended a presentation on how houses can reduce their liabilities by noticing possible problems early on and intervening to handle situations safely in a non-controversial manner.
At TIPS' suggestion, the CFSC, IFC and Panhellenic Council will now require those of legal drinking age to produce a driver's license in addition to a student ID in order to receive a bracelet. Swenson said he expects the policy to take effect immediately.
"I think that everyone will come out in favor of this," Donley said. "I don't think they will have a problem checking another form of ID."
