NEWS ANALYSIS: Outcome of BYOB policy still up in the air

It has lingered around the University for almost five years -- taking the spotlight every few semesters. But after "Bring Your Own Beer" made yet another comeback last week, many say that despite a slow start and some solid arguments against it, BYOB will not fall into obscurity as it has in the past. Officers from the Greek Alumni Council, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, and the InterFraternity Council said this week that the new policy is a long-awaited step in the right direction. BYOB is an issue that cannot be ignored by fraternities facing liability for alcohol related incidents, according to officers. "The fact that fraternities are purchasing alcohol, that's a very, very strong legal link for liability," GAC Assistant Vice Chairperson Bill Staples said. But with the long, unsuccessful history of BYOB and the number of complaints stemming from individual fraternities, the final outcome is still up in the air. In September 1990, the IFC passed a BYOB policy for the first time. Then in February 1991, The Daily Pennsylvanian interviewed students who claimed that BYOB enforcement was not working. One month later, the IFC adopted a revised policy -- but the plans faded once again until September 1991, when IFC President Jim Rettew announced that BYOB would restart. Again the DP interviewed underage students who claimed having little difficulty obtaining alcohol at fraternity parties. Finally, in early 1993, when the Greek Alumni Council proposed BYOB, students protested by posting signs on campus that read, "Don't pay the bucks, the social life sucks." The signs were aimed at prospective freshmen visiting the University. When IFC officers met with GAC officials last month, they decided that it was time to make a clear statement on BYOB. "This was undergraduates saying they wanted to take some responsibility," GAC Chairperson Andrea Dobin said. The policy passed with little opposition at an IFC meeting last Tuesday night, and has received a positive reaction from the University. But what makes BYOB this year different than in previous years? Staples said the new policy is "tighter legally," more clearly written and, for the most part, the work of undergraduates. IFC President David Treat, a College junior, said last week the monitoring system is more clearly defined. The feasibility of consistent monitoring and the possibility of BYOB alternatives remain unresolved. Dartmouth College experimented with BYOB in 1993 and concluded that it was too hard to control, according to Dartmouth Residential Life Assistant Dean Deborah Reinders. Instead, fraternities there utilize kegs as a method of controlling the amount of alcohol dispensed. Last week, Alpha Chi Rho President and College senior T.J. Zane said smart risk management, not necessarily BYOB, is the answer. But OFSA Director Tricia Phaup said insurance companies are interested in keeping costs down, and the national fraternities have taken the lead in pushing risk management policies like BYOB for years now. "If a party is well managed for alcohol consumption, steps taken that people won't drink too much, that greatly reduces the chance of risk," Staples said. But he added that risk management cannot prevent every accident, and if an accident does happen, chapters and nationals are "wide open" to lawsuits. "If people are buying their own alcohol?you're going to be suing the keg house, and you probably end up suing the University," he said.

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