Wellesley College Alcohol Policy

• Community members will be disciplined if their use of alcohol or other drugs (AOD) threatens to create disorder, public disturbance, danger to themselves and others, or property damage.
• College officials will take appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion and/or termination, and may inform other legal authorities when they become aware of the illegal use of AOD. (See the Wellesley College Alcohol Policy.)

A. Registration Requirements:

1. Only officially recognized student organizations or students over 21 or staff/faculty members associated with a program or department may sponsor on-campus events involving alcohol.
2. . Any event where alcohol is distributed or otherwise made available must be registered through the Office of Special Events and Campus Police. The event must be registered no later than 10 working days before the date of the event.
3. . The Chief of Police (or designee) will determine if a member of the Campus Police must be present at an event where alcohol is served or made available.
4. The individual registering an event is the Event Manager. The Event Manager must be present for the duration of the event. Event Managers may designate an assistant, provided the Event Manager understands that he/she still maintains responsibility for the event.
5. All Event Managers must receive training on event planning and responsible beverage service and have a signed Event Manager contract on file in the Office of Student Activities.
6. The Coordinator of Student Activities or the Chief of Police (or designee) will determine, based on the number of expected attendees at the event, how much alcohol should be served at the event. The quantity of alcohol available at an event will be determined to discourage high risk drinking.
7. The Event Manager must meet with the Coordinator of Student Activities and the Chief of Police (or designee) to discuss alcohol service, applicable laws and College policies, and the nature of appropriate security measures to provide a safe environment and ensure adherence to state and local laws.

B. Entrance Policy:

1. Guest entrance to Wellesley College student social events where alcohol is served is limited to those attendees who are either 18 years of age or older or possess valid college identification. Guests must show positive identification and must sign-in upon entry.
2. The Campus Police will be responsible for placing signs that outline polices related to alcohol consumption for the event at conspicuous locations near the entrance to the event.
3. The Event Manager will provide sufficient people to control entry into the event.
4. The event sponsor is responsible for controlling the size of the event and ensuring that attendance does not exceed maximum safety occupancy. This responsibility may include hiring an off-duty member of the Town of Wellesley Fire Department to enforce occupancy limits.
5. Persons who appear intoxicated will not be admitted to the event.
6. Attendees may not bring alcohol to the event.

C. Alcohol Service Area:

1. The Coordinator of Student Activities and the Chief of Police (or designee), in consultation with the Event Manager, will determine the location and set up of the alcohol service area. When necessary, a designated area, separate from the main event, will be set aside for the service and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
2. The alcohol service area will be staffed by trained servers, who have been either TIPS-trained and certified (Training for Intervention Procedures) or certified by an equivalent program. These servers must have their certification cards on hand, at the function, and have a signed TIPs certified servers at Wellesley College events contract on file in the Office of Student Activities. A professional bartender will supervise the trained servers. The Coordinator of Student Activities or the Chief of Police (or designee), in consultation with the Event Manager, will determine the number of trained servers and professional bartenders to be present based on the nature of the event and the expected number of attendees.
3. A trained server must staff the entryway to the event or the alcohol service area, depending on the nature of the event.
4. Persons will be allowed to consume a maximum of three (3) alcoholic beverages while at the event. ¹ All alcohol must be consumed within the event space or designated drinking area (when applicable).
5. Persons entering the alcohol service area must present a valid form of photo identification to the trained server. The trained server reserves the right to ask for back-up identification. Persons presenting an invalid or fake identification may be subject to criminal action. If the individual presenting a fake identification is a Wellesley College student, she may also face additional disciplinary action from the College.
6. After presenting the appropriate identification, persons over the age of 21 will be given a wristband with three detachable dots on the band. This band controls the number of alcoholic beverages served to any one person. Persons who are under the age of 21 will be permitted inside the service area.

D. Procedures for Alcohol Service:

1. Servers will ensure they control access to alcohol to prevent guests from serving themselves.
2. Servers will not consume alcoholic beverages while on duty nor are they to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
3. Trained servers will ensure they detach the appropriate dot each time they serve alcoholic beverages to an individual.
4. Guests may be served only one drink at a time.
5. Servers will not serve anyone who appears to be intoxicated.
6. Servers and Campus Police representatives reserve the right to ask for verification of age at the alcohol service area even if a guest has an approved wristband.
7. Food and non-alcoholic beverages must be available in the alcohol service area. The event managers will provide these items.

E. Personal Conduct:

1. Chugging, initiations, or other potentially dangerous drinking games are prohibited.
2. No person shall be coerced, even subtly, to drink or to abuse alcohol.
3. Members of the event security detail will closely monitor the event to ensure that only authorized guests consume alcohol. Guests who appear intoxicated will be immediately removed from the event. The Campus Police duty sergeant will determine whether the individual will be transported to a medical treatment facility or taken into protective custody for his/her safety.
4. The Campus Police duty sergeant will determine on a case-by-case basis, and on the merit of each situation, how to respond to violations of state and local laws and College policies. As a minimum, the Campus Police will refer to the Associate Dean of Students, for disciplinary action, any Wellesley College student who violates state or local liquor laws or Wellesley College policy.

F. Ending the Event:

1. The Campus Police reserves the right to end alcohol service or the entire event if the event appears out of control or potentially jeopardizes the safety and security of the Wellesley College community.
2. Alcohol service will end one hour before the official end of the event.

G. Advertisement and Promotion of Social Events:

1. Advertisement for social events sponsored by recognized student organizations or individuals associated with Wellesley College will make no direct reference to the specific availability of alcoholic beverages.
2. Under no circumstance will any College organization or program accept sponsorship or endorsement for an event or program from a company that identifies itself as a manufacturer or distributor of alcoholic beverages.

H. Failure to Register Events or Adhere to These Procedures:

First Offense:

1. Wellesley College reserves the right to end the event.
2. The student organization or individual may be placed on probation for one semester.
3. Organizations may have a fine imposed by the Student Bursar.

   a. The hearing board determines if a fine is part of a sanction.

b. The amount of the fine is determined based on the severity of the violation and may be up to 10% of the organization's College Government allocated budget or a minimum of $100. The fine will be deducted from the organizations profits account.

c. The Student Bursar is then notified of the percentage value of the fine so that she may calculate and impose the fine.

d. Fines will be put in an account for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Coordinator to do educational outreach and programs.

e. If an organization is not funded through College Government the following applies:

i. Societies can be fined up to 10% of the amount of membership dues for that semester.

ii. Other groups can be fined up to 10% of their profit balance prior to spending funds on the event or a minimum of $100.

Subsequent Offenses:

1. Wellesley College reserves the right to end the event.
2. Violations will be determined on a case by case basis by the Associate Dean of Students in consultation with the Coordinator of Student Activities and the Student Bursar.

I. Liability for the Event:

1. Wellesley College assumes no responsibility for any liability incurred as a result of an organization's or individual's violation of this policy, other College polices, or any applicable laws governing the use and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
2. The College disclaims any intention to assume duties to protect community members from their own abuse of alcohol or other drugs or to protect third persons from the conduct of community members.

___________________________

^1. Both research and observation note that the frequency, rate and amount of alcohol use can markedly increase risks to health, safety, academic performance, and overall wellness.* Consequently, it makes sense that any policy regarding alcohol use promotes and adheres to guidelines that support drinking choices that lower these risks. It is difficult to come up with definitive low risk guidelines for alcohol use because alcohol effects every person differently. Some factors that contribute to its differing effects include gender, height, weight, age, ethnicity, attitude, mood, food intake, physical health, other drugs/medication, tolerance, and family history.

In 1999, The Prevention Research Institute analyzed and interpreted information and research from over 250 sources to come up with generalized low-risk guidelines for alcohol use.** Although their guidelines are more conservative for people who are at a higher risk for developing substance abuse,*** their findings for low-risk drinking choices are 0-3 drinks less than daily (0-2 if daily), no more than one drink per hour. The rate of consumption is important because the average person can metabolize one drink per hour. Consuming two or more drinks in one hour or less is associated with an increased risk for crashes and other impairment problems. Several studies indicate that people who drink more or faster than those guidelines are at a greater risk for health problems, impairment related problems, and developing patterns associated with alcohol abuse.

*In The Natural History of Alcoholism Revisited (1995), George Vaillant describes how his ongoing longitudinal study of men finds a strong correlation between drinking more than four drinks per day and having greater reported incidents of health problems. Because alcohol effects women differently than men, it is assumed that number should be rounded down by one drink for women.

Henry Wechsler's "College Binge Drinking in the 1990's: A Continuing Problem-Results of the Harvard School of Public Health's 1999 College Alcohol Study" finds a strong correlation between "college binge drinking" and the increased risk for academic, safety, and overall wellness problems. "Binge drinking" is defined as four or more drinks in a sitting for women and five or more drinks for men. "One drink" is defined as one 12-ounce beer or wine cooler, one 4-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.25 ounce serving of distilled spirits (either alone or in a mixed drink).

**The Prevention Research Institute's Risk Reduction Guide for Higher Education is called Prime for Life! On Campus Talking About Alcohol (OCTAA). The Prevention Research Institute is located at 841 Corporate Drive, Suite 300, Lexington, Kentucky 40503. The phone number is (606) 223-3392.

***Although there is conflicting evidence regarding a genetic link to substance abuse, studies of identical twins, fraternal twins, and people who are adopted indicate a significantly higher incidence of substance abuse among children of substance abusers. According to the Prevention Research Institute, the lowest risk choice for people with two or more close blood relatives with a substance abuse problem is complete abstinence.

Appendices

Appendix A: Wellesley College Procedures Governing the Use of Alcohol at Student Events (updates pending)
Appendix B: Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act Codified as Part 86 of EDGAR (34 CFR Part 86)
Appendix C: Applicable Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Town of Wellesley Liquor Laws
Appendix D: Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (41 U. S. C. Chapter 10)
Appendix E: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 94C - Controlled Substances Act

Wellesley College Alcohol Hearing Board Membership Roles and Responsibilities

January 2006

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