Houses May End Free Flow of Liquor

In what administrators are calling an attempt to establish consistent regulations concerning student alcohol consumption across the Houses, the College has proposed a new policy that would ban hard liquor at most House events.

A working draft of the policy was shown to House Committee (HoCo) members on Tuesday night and discussed at yesterday’s Committee on College Life meeting. It will go before the Committee on House Life (CHL) in January. The CHL will then make recommendations to deans and House masters, who intend to implement the draft by the spring semester.

“Masters felt that hard alcohol is fraught with concerns,” Dean of Residential Life Suzy M. Nelson wrote in an e-mail. “First, it is more concentrated, and easier to get more alcohol in a smaller quantity of liquid...Finally, the Masters felt that mixed drinks change the tone of what is intended to be a casual event to foster fellowship and conversation over a few beers and pizza.”

The proposal comes a month after the UC was forced to stop funding alcohol through its party grants. This year’s Harvard College Handbook also featured a stricter anti-hazing policy which can discipline student group leaders for dangerous drug or alcohol consumption.

Mather HoCo Co-Chair Nikhil G. Mathews ’08 expressed concern about what the proposal would do to House community.

“Our happy hours are one of the few on campus that use hard alcohol and our attendance is usually 130 to 150 people,” Mathews said.

Mathews said that the House has been serving hard liquor for three years.

The proposed move affects certain Houses more than others, since only a handful serve hard alcohol at their events. Under the policy, they would still be allowed to serve at House formals.

Adams Ho-Co Chair Timothy J. Smith ’08, who is also a Crimson business editor, believes that hard alcohol should not be offered at Stein Clubs.

“Alcohol should not be the focus of an event,” said Smith, whose House’s “Carpe Noctum” only serves beer.

Though one goal of the proposal is alcohol policy uniformity, Smith defended the right of House masters to exercise their discretion.

In addition to prohibiting hard liquor, the draft proposal also requires parties to be registered three weeks in advance, which some HoCo members have opposed.

“It seems unreasonable for weekly events to have to file three weeks in advance,” Smith said.

Harvard administrators have emphasized they will continue to include students as they move forward with the policy.

“It did not happen in isolation,” said Associate Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II. “House masters had already talked to their HoCos. Student input was actually consulted through the individual house masters.”

Undergraduate Council Vice-Chair of College Life Jon T. Staff V ’10, who said he hoped to see students play a significant role in finalizing the project, said the move is “another attempt to limit the liability of the college.”