Procedures for the Use of Alcohol on Campus or During College Sponsored Events

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For more information, please review the official policy on the College of Charleston website at http://policy.cofc.edu/. 

PURPOSE

These Procedures describe the process that will be used by the College to review requests for allowing alcoholic beverages to be available during events where students are present that are held on College Property, individually referred to as "an Event". When the term "Event" is used in these Procedures, it means any College gathering where alcohol will be available. The procedures are not intended to change the existing substantive policies dealing with permitted uses of alcohol on campus or on College-owned property ("College Property"). Those policies are recited in the Employee Drug and Alcohol Abuse Policy (for faculty and other employees) and in the Student Handbook and other publications directed to students (for students and student organizations).

Events include gatherings that are:

  • Sponsored by the College or an approved College organization to take place on College Property
  • Advertised or promoted using the name and/or resources of the College
  • Held on College Property by third-parties

IDENTIFICATION AND RANKING OF RISKS

  1. Categories
    The purpose for Events can be diverse, and many include such matters as raising funds for the College, enhancing the College's public image, hosting Alumni gatherings or other cultural, social or professional meetings, or merely providing a meeting place or performance space for third parties not affiliated with the College. In general, however, these Procedures recognize three different types of entities that may host an Event. The types that may host an Event are categorized as follows:
    • Affiliate of Third Party Sponsored Events: These Events could be hosted by the College Foundation, the College Alumni Association or non-affiliated third parties such as a business, a non-profit organization or other legal entity
    • Student-Sponsored Events: These Events would include those sponsored by an approved student organization, such as a sorority or a fraternity, as well as any other approved group or organization of students
    • College Employee or College-Sponsored Events: These Events would be hosted by the President, Board of Trustees, The Faculty Senate, a School or a department, a College manager, or any recognized academic or employee unit or organization
  2. Risk Assessment
    When determining the risk of alcohol abuse associated with an Event, College reviewing authorities will consider at least the following factors:
    • The location of the Event;
    • The number of underage students or other underage persons who are expected to be in attendance as guests;
    • The number of underage persons who will have access to the Event, by, for example, working as servers or volunteers
    • The sponsor of the Event and of the conduct of participants during the Event
    • The history of the Event and of the conduct of participants during the Event
    • The estimated number of total guests to attend the Event;
    • The primary purpose of the Event; and
    • The publicity surrounding the Event and/or the public perception of the Event
  3. Standards
    The considerations and standards used by the College to review an application for an Event shall include the following:
    • The College will not approve an Event if, in the exercise of its sole discretion, it has determined that holding the Event will present an unreasonable risk to the health or safety of the College community and/or to the property of the College or that the Event will be conducted in a way that would portray the College or the members of the College Community in a false light or otherwise subject it or them to public ridicule or disgrace
    • The higher the risk assessment the more stringent shall be the requirements of the Alcohol Management Plan described in section 3.3

APPROVAL PROCESS

  1. All sponsors of Events must complete and submit the appropriate approval form to the College office having management responsibility of the College location of the event. Sponsors of Affiliate or Third-Party Sponsored Events, Student-Sponsored Events or College Employee or College-Sponsored Events utilizing College-owned property shall complete the Event Planning and Notification Form, which includes the Alcohol Management Plan.
  2. If any alcohol will be available at a student-sponsored event, there shall be a conclusive presumption that underage students will be in attendance.
  3. The Alcohol Management Plan shall be required for every Event where alcohol will be served on College property. Depending on the risk assessment made pursuant in the Purpose/Reason for the Policy statement above, the Alcohol Management Plan shall address the following issues with the specificity needed to adequately address the perceived risk:
    • How the organization will prevent underage persons from having access to alcohol
    • The type and amount of alcohol that will be available at the event
    • The type and amount of food that will be served
    • The starting time and ending time of the Event
    • The Event security that will be provided by the organization members themselves
    • The number of police requested from College Public Safety
    • If a student-sponsored event, appropriate acknowledgement that Public Safety will contact the Student Affairs staff member on-call if a police action is required or similar serious or exigent circumstance arises.
  4. In addition to any other form that may be required to rent or use a College Facility, all Forms for Events, described in the above section, where alcohol will be available, must also be pre-approved by Public Safety before an Event may be held. In addition, all forms for student-sponsored Events, including those prepared by student organizations, must also be preapproved by the Office of Student Life or the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, as appropriate. All forms for other Events that do not include students, where alcohol will be available shall also be pre-approved by the College’s director of institutional events.

ON CAMPUS ALCOHOL SERVICE PROVIDERS

The College's director of institutional events is authorized to review the licensure of any alcohol service provider that is named for a particular Event. The director shall also issue such guidance as may be appropriate, from time to time, to promote the safe use of alcohol during approved Events including, but not limited to, the training of alcohol servers. The director will act for the Office of the President in all such matters.

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