Alcohol policy crashes party scene

Author: Derek Schlickeisen

Middlebury College's response to liquor inspector Michael G. Davidson's re-interpretation of the Vermont law regarding alcohol at open parties was put to the test last weekend with events hosted by Omega Alpha (Tavern) and Kappa Delta Rho (KDR).

In addition to registering their parties, organizers of the weekend's events had to limit attendance to students whose names were on a guest list and had an invitation in order to comply with Davidson's assertion of social house events being "private parties."

With only a week to arrange the details, however, organizers found themselves with little time to come up with a system to enforce the guest list.

"Right now it's still a kind of seat-of-our-pants process as we try to find the most effective manner in which to implement the state requirements," said Tavern President Andrew Barriger '06. "Some things we were hoping to use to make the process easier, like wristbands, were very difficult to get coordinated."

According to organizers and guests alike, some students were very frustrated and confused by the new regulations. KDR Vice President and Inter-House Council President Lauren Battaglia '06 said, "Most people were pretty understanding of the fact that we had no choice regarding the new party policy. However, we did have people who were rather upset by the fact that they had come down to KDR and were turned away."

But not all of those who were turned away stayed away. Guests at the Tavern's "Dirty Professor/Naughty Schoolgirl" party reported hectic scenes of large crowds waiting to get in. Neil D'Astolfo '07.5 saw that "within 20 minutes at least half of the people I came with who weren't on the guest list had gotten in. One said that they had just let him in at some point."

Mike Murali '09 witnessed several others who were more creative. "A number of people who couldn't get in started climbing through a large window," he said. D'Astolfo added that others who were denied at the front door "found a side entrance that was open with no one watching it."

While Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah said that officers do check on registered parties, she confirmed that no incidents involving campus security resulted from the stricter regulations. Barriger and others reported that the guest list rule caused some problems for the hosts, including damage to the premises. "There were some people who not only made things difficult as we tried to check people on the list in, but were downright disrespectful of us," he said. "They broke into the house through any open window they could find, including bedrooms."

Said Student Government Association President Eli Berman '07.5, "I can't imagine what the liquor inspector would have done if he had been there. There is no way the confusion of this weekend will be able to continue throughout the year."

Following the weekend's confusion, many students expressed their disapproval of requiring invitations to social house parties. "Open parties where students can, regardless of year, quaff a few beers but spend most of the time dancing are far safer," said Bonnie Hemphill '08. "Which is worse: turning a blind eye to a 19-year-old having a beer or two, or encouraging him to a situation where's he'll suck down 12 shots alone in Battell or drive home drunk from the Farm?" D'Astolfo, a Battell Junior Counselor, echoed this concern. "There's no reason to make the social scene exclusive. That just promotes smaller gatherings in freshman dorms, which is where the bulk of health center visits initiate."

Berman, in his role as liaison to liquor inspector Davidson, said that student leaders are still in the process of figuring out how to address the problem of bringing the College into compliance with Vermont's liquor laws while maintaining a social atmosphere. "The main problem is that we want to bring ourselves into compliance, but these are antiquated laws and very few people know exactly what they mean. Meanwhile, we're still having parties."