It is no secret that the social life of a college is important to most students. In recognizing this, the administration and the Alcohol and Drug Advisory Committee have been reviewing the current policies regarding certain aspects of social life to try to maximize their effectiveness and fairness. A sub-committee of the Alcohol and Drug Advisory Committee convened on November 1 to dis­cuss specifically the current event registration policy.

The sub-committee consists of five students, five faculty members and five administrators includ­ing the Dean of the College and those from administrative areas such as Athletics, Residential Life and Health Services. All of the students on the committee were elected by the Senate to partici­pate in these discussions. The five students are president of Colgate’s Student Government Association (SGA) and senior Liz Brodsky, se­niors Ethan Levitt and Hilary Mc­Connaughey, and juniors Michael Kelly and Matteo Ramos-Mucci.

After five hours spent brain­storming, the committee reached no conclusions as to the exact changes that need to be made to the registration policy. However, the committee recognizes that each provision of the policy must be ex­amined carefully in order to ensure that the procedure for hosting a party is as clear as possible.

“This process is just starting so any thoughts about where it mightgo are extremely premature. At this point, we have just framed up what an ideal process might look like, and different directions worth exploring, and even that is tentative,” Associate Vice Presi­dent and Dean of Students Scott Brown said.

Some possible issues under review include the rule that if an event has fewer than 99 people attending, the policy of Bring Your Own Beverage (BYOB) is enforced so that attendees must provide their own alcohol. The committee is investigating whether this number is appropriate.

The issue of kegs is also being thoroughly discussed. Currently, kegs are not allowed on Colgate’s property or in the possession of recognized Colgate organiza­tions. Only licensed caterers can use kegs with authorization from the administration.

“The committee is consider­ing whether there is a process that could involve using kegs as part of a registered event,” Direc­tor of Residential Life and As­sistant Dean of the College for Residential Education Jennifer Adams said.

Another topic of conversation was the possibility of allowing beer pong.

“The beer pong idea came with some hesitance because, al­though the overall agreement was that it was more of a social game than a drinking game, it does make a mess. In many residence halls with carpets, it would mean major damage,” Matteo Ramos-Mucci said.

The committee has also been investigating the policies of other colleges to get a better idea of what would work best on Colgate’s cam­pus. Members went to Hamilton College to examine the differences in its event registration policies.

Above all, the committee wants to create a process that makes peo­ple feel comfortable registering a party. The committee and admin­istration do not want to create a set of provisions that severely lim­its the plans of the hosts, yet they would still like to ensure a safe par­ty environment. The most difficult task is striking a balance between enjoyment and safety.

“The administration faces a really big dilemma – how does it establish an environment of responsible drinking on cam­pus while maintaining its strict no underage drinking policy?” Ramos-Mucci said.

Once changes have been agreed upon within the group, the ideas would then be presented to the Al­cohol and Drug Advisory commit­tee for discussion and review. After this, the changes would go through other governance processes, one of which would involve seeking input from Colgate students.

“I can guarantee that when [the new policy] starts to be cre­ated, everyone will hear about it, and most likely be in approval of it,” Ramos-Mucci said.

Overall, the social aspect of at­tending Colgate remains a relevant and important issue in the minds of not only the students, but also the ad­ministration. The most recent major policy change banned first-years from attending fraternity parties, which was unpopular among students, yet it was done in what the administra­tion believed to be the best interest of the students. It is hoped that the new policies for registering parties will be agreeable to both the administration and students.