With this year's Spring Fling on the horizon, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and the Alcohol Task Force are busy deliberating on one of the perpetual sources of concern surrounding Tufts' major events: how to regulate and moderate student alcohol use. Following last year's disaster of mass underage drinking and subsequent medical issues, a steering committee is seeking to make changes to the structure of the event in order to reduce such incidents and to increase Spring Fling's potential for being a fun, safe event.
Currently, two major proposals have been prepared for consideration by the steering committee. One, proposed by the Alcohol Task Force, suggests banning students from bringing alcohol into the event, but setting up a 21-plus pub area in which of-age students could buy and consume alcohol. While this proposal is practical as a means to reduce pre-gaming and to prevent of-age students from providing alcohol to their younger classmates, it is hardly financially realistic. According to the TCU Senate's "A Resolution Proposing Changes to Spring Fling 2010," about $10,000 of Spring Fling's budget would be spent on the cash bar if this proposal were approved. Additionally, a similar system caused widespread dissatisfaction at previous events, such as this year's Winter Bash, as students were unhappy with the limited bar and its steep prices.
The TCU Senate has offered a viable alternative to the Spring Fling alcohol policy submitted by the task force — a policy in which of-age students would be able to bring their own alcohol to the event (in a limited quantity) and consume it in a specific, closed-off area. This arrangement would reduce the heavy costs that students are faced with when purchasing drinks at a 21-plus pub area, and would still help to prevent underage students from consuming alcohol at the event. The proposal, however, also calls for students to be able to come in and out of the event throughout the day. While originally intended as a means to limit alcohol consumption by reducing students' need to pre-game Spring Fling, this strategy would instead generate chaos and still leave the problem of more alcohol finding its way into the vicinity.
The proposal by the Senate to allow students to bring alcohol and set up an area in which they can drink it, however, is certainly a smart idea and would be a feasible alternative through which students and administrators could meet in the middle.
It is commendable that the steering committee is listening to the Senate's proposal and taking student opinions into consideration before making drastic decisions regarding policy changes to Spring Fling. It is important, however, to remember that limiting access to alcohol by restricting students who are 21 or older is not going to be a cure-all. Most of the students who required medical care at last year's Spring Fling were first-year students who were under 21. While the Senate's proposal to confine drinking to a 21-plus area seems like a conceivable plan to reduce need for Tufts Emergency Medical Services, the most important focus should be on ensuring that there will be enough food and water at Spring Fling — something that was not provided in a large-enough quantity last year. This lack of essentials exacerbated the health risks of students who were already dehydrated after consuming alcohol, and it may have been a large contributor to the strikingly high number of students who required medical attention.
Whether or not they have access to alcohol once inside Spring Fling, underage students will inevitably find ways to remain intoxicated throughout the event. When considering making changes to Spring Fling in the future, efforts should focus on keeping the majority of students healthy, not on restricting the minority percentage of students who are allowed to consume alcohol legally.
