Responsible Fun

Back in 2007, the disappearance of Party Fund grants for alcoholic beverages made many students think Harvard would never again foot the bill for fun. The current UC, however, has taken steps to change this with the new Student Initiated Programming Fund. Introduced last semester, the SIP Fund will allow upperclassmen of legal drinking age to apply for retroactive grants of $200 for student events—which can be parties—in House common spaces.

But the UC has faced serious opposition from administrators and House Masters. These detractors argue that the SIP Fund’s restrictions will not sufficiently ensure that UC money—which effectively is gathered via the College since it comes through student term-bills—doesn’t go to support underage drinking. It is understandable that administrators are concerned, as there are obviously liability issues whenever alcohol is bought and consumed. Yet the UC has taken care to address these concerns when drafting the protocols for the SIP fund. Though it is conceivable that underage students could possibly acquire alcohol at SIP Fund parties, the College must acknowledge—even if only privately—that some underage drinking will take place no matter what and that SIP’s precautions are as good as can be reasonably expected.

There are many distinctions between the old Party Fund system and the new SIP grants. Whereas money from the Party Fund could be used for private suite parties, SIP Fund events must take place in House common spaces. This makes them easier to monitor and also opens them to all the students in the neighborhood in which the event is taking place. Encouraging students to host social events in already existing common spaces like grilles or JCRs will make the most of the present options while the College looks at how to expand common spaces.

Additionally, hosts of the social events where SIP Fund money is used are required to refrain from drinking themselves. While it is likely that there will be many sober attendees at most parties, it is now guaranteed that there will be at least one. Conceivably, the host will work to ensure that those who drink are of age and that the party does not get out of hand.

Finally, only one third of SIP grants can be spent on beer or wine, reflecting the proportion of students who are of legal drinking age. This encourages hosts to devote money to non-alcoholic drinks and food, which is precisely what the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Services and other health professionals recommend in order to ensure that casual alcohol consumption does not turn into unhealthful binge drinking.

The UC has clearly spent a great deal of time thinking how best to devise a way to provide money to students for social events that both is practical and responds to concerns administrators have expressed in the past. The longer administrators and House Masters continue to slow down the implementation of SIP, the longer students will continue turning to unsupervised parties in their suites while College social life suffers. With several significant precautions in place, it is time for administrators to concede that, though there may always be underage drinking, the SIP program is worthy of their approval.