Lewis, Epps Refute Indy Reports of Proposed Ban on Alcohol

College administrators last night vehemently denied a suggestion in yesterday's Harvard Independent that the College is considering a temporary campus-wide ban on alcohol.

"I have never heard of such a thing," said Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 in a telephone interview with The Crimson last night. "You can safely say that this is false."

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III also confirmed last night that an alcohol ban is not being discussed by administrators, informally or formally.

"There's no current consideration of such a policy," he said.

But Epps did not rule out the possibility that a proposal banning alcohol might surface in the future.

"It could be considered," he said. "That is just a hypothetical situation."

The Independent article, citing unnamed sources, alleged that the plan for the temporary ban "was addressed in several meetings of an ad hoc student-faculty committee on alcohol policy" that included Lewis, Epps, Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson and President Neil L. Rudenstine.

Lewis and Epps both flatly denied that an ad hoc committee on alcohol policy exists.

"Those four people have not been in a room together in at least a year," Lewis said. "Maybe in a Faculty meeting," he added, after reconsideration.

The independent article also stated that the alleged proposal was sent from the ad hoc committee to the Committee on House Life (COHL) and was discussed in an October 13 COHL meeting.

But Undergraduate Council President Lamelle D. Rawlins '99, who serves on COHL, said she attended the October 13 meeting and an alcohol ban was not discussed "to [her] recollection."

Rawlins said she speculates that rumors of an alcohol ban at the College have been spurred in part by last month's decision by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education to ban alcohol on all state and community college campuses, pending approval from their boards of trustees.

Rawlins added that she believes that an alcohol ban at Harvard, even if proposed, would never have the support of enough College administrators to be implemented.

"I'm not too worried about [an alcohol ban becoming reality]," she said. "If students are concerned about this, then we'll go to administrators about it."

Lewis, in an interview with The Crimson last month, denied that the College was considering an alcohol ban. He jokingly likened the suggestion to the persistent rumor that the College will soon require all first-years to purchase their own computers--a rumor Lewis has consistently denied.

Council to Issue Alcohol Policy 'Clarification'

The Undergraduate Council will soon mail a "clarification" of the College's alcohol policy to every undergraduate.

The clarification is intended to provide specific answers to common questions about disciplinary issues related to alcohol.

The mailing was drafted in response to and Epps which reaffirmed specifics of the College's alcohol policy.

"I feel like [the clarification] is clearing up an area that most students aren't really sure about," Rawlins said.

A draft of the clarification, which was obtained last night by The Crimson, will be presented at tomorrow's meeting of the Committee on College Life.

"If you are drunk and go to UHS, you will not be reported to the police or to the Ad Board for going to UHS," reads one statement in the clarification.

According to Rawlins, the mailing was drafted with input from Epps, Lewis, Associate Dean of the College for Human Resources and the House System Thomas A. Dingman '67, Director of University Health Services Dr. David S. Rosenthal '59 and Chief of Police Francis "Bud" Riley

"I feel like [the clarification] is clearing up an area that most students aren't really sure about," Rawlins said.

A draft of the clarification, which was obtained last night by The Crimson, will be presented at tomorrow's meeting of the Committee on College Life.

"If you are drunk and go to UHS, you will not be reported to the police or to the Ad Board for going to UHS," reads one statement in the clarification.

According to Rawlins, the mailing was drafted with input from Epps, Lewis, Associate Dean of the College for Human Resources and the House System Thomas A. Dingman '67, Director of University Health Services Dr. David S. Rosenthal '59 and Chief of Police Francis "Bud" Riley