Dear all,
We are writing with important and exciting updates to the Residential Life policy regarding social gatherings, including parties, on campus.
As many of you may know, our current policy is deeply limiting: alcohol is not allowed in common spaces under any circumstance, capacity (i.e. number of individuals permitted within the space) is unclear, and insufficient registration processes mean that these gatherings may be (and often are) shut down by Public Safety and professional staff. Our current reality is unsustainable. We know firsthand, and have heard from students across various feedback channels, that our current policy has led to gatherings that are often unsafe and disruptive to our community. The safety and well-being of our community are of the utmost importance to us all, and we take these concerns very seriously.
To address this, Residential Life Area Coordinators Mack and Sarah led a review of current policy and have worked for over a year to make substantial policy changes and move toward a new approach centered on harm reduction and empowering student agency. This process involved extensive conversations within the Residential Life team, collaboration with colleagues across the Division of Student Life and—most importantly—repeated direct feedback from students, including from targeted focus groups. This updated Residence Hall Party Registration Policy is our commitment to providing you with clear and structured guidelines to host fun, responsible and safe gatherings that respect all residents and residential spaces.
Key highlights of updated policy
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Clarity on Alcohol: Alcohol* is now permitted in residential common areas for registered events. We are providing a specific framework for alcohol at registered social gatherings, outlining allowed quantities of beer, seltzer, cider and wine. *Please note that, under our updated policy, it remains that hard alcohol, punch bowls and common source containers of any kind are NOT permitted.
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Safety and Agency: The policy empowers trained student hosts to manage their events responsibly, while simultaneously promoting community care through consistent guidelines.
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Emphasis on Education: Our expectation is that all students looking to host parties are doing so with the same foundational knowledge of alcohol and other substances, as well as safer partying practices and strategies for mitigating risk of interpersonal harm. Over the years, we have heard feedback that some parties hosted by students uphold these values, and our goal is to ensure that everyone now has the tools to host safer events of this standard.
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Respect for Selves, Others, and Physical Spaces: This updated policy outlines clear expectations for maintaining a physical and social space, with the hope of minimizing risk of interpersonal violence/harm, decreasing impact on neighbors (i.e. noise complaints) and limiting the damage we often see to our physical spaces (i.e. broken tables, dirty bathrooms, etc). While you are here, these spaces are your home, and we ask you to care for them for yourselves and others.
Requirements for hosting a residence hall party
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Familiarize yourself with the updated policy, outlined on the Residential Life Embark page.
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Complete the mandatory Safer Party Host training module, coming soon to Moodle.
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Register your party in advance via EMS, no later than the Tuesday prior to the upcoming weekend. Area coordinators will manage requests to ensure that events are paced appropriately across a variety of spaces.
Timeline and next steps
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ACs Mack and Sarah will present the new policy at the SGA Senate this upcoming Tuesday, Oct. 7.
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Mack and Sarah will also host a Community Information Session, open to all students who have questions, thoughts and concerns, on Friday, Oct. 10, from 12 to 1 pm in the Great Room.
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Mack and Sarah will also be tabling outside of the Dining Commons on Tuesday, Oct. 7, Wednesday, Oct. 8, and Thursday, Oct. 9, from 11 am to 1 pm.
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The Safer Party Host Moodle course and Party Registration EMS form will become available starting Friday, Oct. 10, prior to the start of Fall Break.
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The updated Residence Hall Party Registration Policy will be effective beginning Monday, Oct. 20. This means that safer host training and party registration will be required for any gatherings hosted starting on Friday, Oct. 24 and beyond.
While we are excited about this shift in policy towards more intentional and safer social gatherings, we likewise understand that changes of any kind can feel overwhelming and upsetting, even when done in direct response to feedback and with extensive input. We also remain open to additional feedback and view these updates with understanding that there may need to be some eventual shifts and changes to align best with student and cultural needs. As such, we take your perspectives very seriously and see it as essential to the success of this process and our campus safety.
With this in mind, we will conduct a thorough review at the end of the fall semester to make any necessary adjustments to the policy before the spring semester begins. Please keep an eye out for additional information and opportunities to provide feedback at the conclusion of this semester.
We know that social gatherings are an important, even essential, part of building community, and we share that sentiment. This policy is ultimately for you and your ability to engage socially in a safe way! Thank you again for your attention and commitment to creating an environment that promotes values of care, harm reduction and respect.
Take care,
Sarah Garijo-Garde
Senior Area Coordinator and Assistant Director for Residential Wellness
Mackenzie Windus
Area Coordinator for Student Involvement
Janyce Carroll
Area Coordinator for Community and Belonging
Ailsa Schmidt
Area Coordinator for Community Standards