Faculty Group Curtails Drinking During Games

The Faculty Committee on Athletic Sports yesterday requested all spectators to refrain from bringing alcoholic beverages to football games, and said it would refuse admission to obvious violators of this ruling.

The ruling will go into effect in time for the Brown game this Saturday, Thomas D. Bolles, chairman of the committee, said yesterday.

Issued "in the interest of those who come to the Harvard Stadium each Saturday to enjoy a football game," the sudden edict is designed to reduce dangers to spectators from those who have been drinking excessively.

"I don't think there has been any more drinking at games this year than in the past," Bolles stated, "but the faculty has become increasingly worried about the dangers from flying beer cans and other objects at the games."

Twice this year, spectators have been treated for cuts after being hit by empty beer cans. The University's insurance agency is now settling a claim field by a man who injured himself stopping upon a can last year.

The order gives employees at entrance gates authority to refuse admittance to spectators who are "obvious violators" of the request. They will be particularly on the look-out for spectators carrying full cases of beer or glass jugs.

Refusal Up to Ticket Takers

"We will leave refusal up to the discretion of the ticket takers at the gates, where there will also be policemen on hand to help out." Police said.

He added, however, that the Committee did not "want to make a game" out of trying to catch every violator. The decree is so worded that it virtually permits all spectators with small bottles or pocket flasks to slip by unchallenged or unnoticed.

Bolles cautioned that the Committee does in no way approve of game-time drinking, and that the old rule prescribing ejection for spectators who become nuisances in the stands still holds.

Not Just Students

The Athletic Committee, composed of nine faculty and administrative board members, did not specially restrict the scope of the ruling to college students. It did not feel examples of excessive drinking were limited to undergraduates, Bolles explained. He said he planned to have the wording printed on an football tickets to be sold.