In a year marred by incidents student alcohol abuse, student organizations are considering the consequences of offering alcohol at parties.
GW’s College Democrats recently decided it would be inappropriate to use student group funds for alcohol at parties. The members said they would not use CD allocations to alcohol, CD Vice President Anjan Choudhury said.
“I don’t think any group should use funds to pay for alcohol,” Choudhury said.
College Republicans Chair Jared Hosid said he agreed with the decision and added that GW students do not need the CRs to provide alcohol.
“We don’t think that it’s part of our function,” Hosid said. “We don’t feel our role is such that we should have keg parties with student funds.”
As University officials continue with efforts to teach students responsible drinking, student organizations are forced to consider the complicated process of registering alcohol-related parties with the Alcohol Request Review Committee. Anthony Rizzuto, the former student representative to ARRC, said the process needs to change.
“There are a lot of gray areas,” he said.
Rizzuto said student groups technically should register with the committee even if members go to dinner somewhere such as T.G.I.Friday’s because the restaurant serves alcohol. But he said such scenarios are difficult for ARRC to judge.
Rizzuto, who resigned late last semester, submitted a report to the faculty members of ARRC with suggestions for improving the program.
During his tenure, student organizations made about 100 requests to host parties and only two were denied, he said. Rizzuto said the first rejection came when the Indian Cultural Exchange wanted to serve alcohol at an event aimed at recruiting freshman members last semester.
Rizzuto said ARRC members thought an event for underage freshmen should not include alcohol. The Student Association and Program Board also were rejected for a request to throw an “end-of-the-semester bash,” which would have included alcohol, he said.
“The idea was that the SA and PB, the two largest student organizations on campus, should have model behavior and should provide students with a way to have fun without alcohol,” Rizzuto said.
Rizzuto said the University faces a difficult task.
“All we’re trying to do is get students to drink moderately and responsibly,” he said. “It’s really frustrating.”
Faculty members of ARRC were unavailable for comment.
