Keg Ban Not the Answer

Every year the Harvard-Yale football game drums up school spirit, promotes a healthy rivalry and gives students an excuse to turn pre-game tailgates into a midday bacchanalia. But by order of Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, the ubiquitous kegs of beer that ringed the stadium and populated the business school parking lot this year are now forbidden. Although Lewis is right to be concerned about both safety and students who become drunk and rowdy, banning kegs does not solve the problem of irresponsible drinking and might even make it worse.

The new ban prohibits kegs but not bottles or cans of alcohol, therefore possibly compounding the problem of can- and bottle-strewn fields. Also, without easy access to beer, students bent on a buzz will be tempted to drink more of the hard liquor and punch available near the field.

In addition, some of the kegs at The Game were brought by alums. It is unfair to alums to ban all kegs when the problem rests primarily with students. Before taking the step of banning all kegs, the College should better enforce the alcohol policy already in place. Lewis made the right call when he also announced that all pre-game parties are to be held on Soldiers Field so the Harvard University Police Department can better monitor alcohol use.

If the University is serious about cutting down on underage and excessive drinking, it should institute a drinking-awareness program in the weeks before the game. Such a campaign would be more effective and less adversarial than a police-led crackdown. Excessive drinking is a real problem at The Game, but a ban on kegs is unlikely to help.