Furman changes alcohol policy

By Cindy Landrum  

APRIL 30, 2010 9:41 a.m. (1)

For the first time in the history of Furman University, some students will be allowed to drink in their on-campus apartments.

A unanimous vote by the school’s board of trustees on Saturday changed a long-standing rule that kept the campus virtually dry, even for students of legal drinking age.

Under the change that will take effect at the start of the fall semester, students who are 21 or older will be allowed to possess and consume alcohol in the privacy of their own apartment in the North Village, Furman’s on-campus student apartments, said Connie Carson, the school’s vice president of student life.

They will not be allowed to drink outside or in the village’s common areas.

Students campaigned for the rule change.

Student unrest about the policy hit a crescendo in the fall, in part because of stepped-up law enforcement off campus designed to reduce underage drinking and a policy that forces most Furman students to live on campus.

Members of the Furman student council held a public forum in September and worked with administrators to craft the proposal, Carson said.

Furman’s days as a dry campus dates back to the school’s affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention until 1992.

No alcohol was allowed on campus until 2003 when the board voted to allow alcohol to be served at private, catered events at Timmons Arena, Cherrydale Alumni House, the Furman Golf Course and the Younts Center. Students who were 21 were allowed to have alcohol at supervised, university-approved events in the designated areas.

The public has been allowed to purchase alcohol in the golf course clubhouse since October 2008.

The policy change brings North Village in line with the policy already at place at The Vinings, the university-owned apartment complex on Duncan Chapel Road. About 20 percent of the residents at The Vinings are Furman students and they have been allowed to drink in their apartments if they are of legal drinking age, Carson said.

Students campaigned for the change because they thought the school’s restrictive alcohol policy encouraged students to engage in high-risk drinking and driving. They said they were not trying to condone underage drinking.

Underage students living in the North Village will not be allowed to possess or consume alcohol.

The change also does not impact the school’s residence halls where freshmen, sophomores and some juniors live.

With the change, the university will strengthen its alcohol education program, including possibly requiring students to take an online education program prior to arriving on campus, Carson said.

The school will also significantly toughen its sanctions for students who violate the alcohol policy, Carson said.

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Chris  - In my day   |2010-04-30 08:52:46 Back in my day, we said it was a dry campus so long as we didn't spill anything. Reply

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