Student Senate members voiced their opinions against the debated “social host” policy, claiming the law would be impractical and difficult for students.
The “social host” ordinance would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to arrest people who provided alcohol to those under the legal drinking age.
The topic sits in the Joint Policy Advisory Council, comprised of city and university police agencies. The committee would recommend the policy change to Athens City Council, for a vote.
Graduate Student Senate President Joel Newby and Caleb Balduff, university life senator at-large, spoke about the implications of the “social host” policy at Student Senate’s meeting Wednesday evening.
The general opinion of senate members quickly became clear.
“I hope to God this would never ever pass” said Carter Phillips, Student Allocations Committee commissioner and treasurer candidate for the ONE ticket.
Senate members were eager to hear more about the policy, including how exactly it would be enforced and what the consequences would be, but it’s too early to say, Balduff said.
One senator took issue with the area’s understaffed police forces, a problem OU’s Stephen Golding, vice president for Finance and Administration, spoke about at a previous senate meeting.
“It’s not realistic or practical to assume that students have the ability to monitor their houses at all times to make sure (visitors) are of age,” said Treasurer Adam Brown.
The policy would make supplying a person under the legal drinking age with alcohol a criminal act, Balduff said.
“It seems like (the policy) is placing the burden on students to police each other. The university needs to put the burden on (itself) to teach people about alcohol, not on students to police each other,” said Black Affairs Commissioner Alexis Chambers.
Balduff is organizing a committee to protest the policy.
“We say we’re a Bobcat family and it goes further than that,” Balduff said. “We’re supposed to look out for each other. This turns that around.”
Most City Council members weren’t aware of the policy, city officials said. Yet Newby’s main concern is that the policy will be passed when students are on summer break.
“If students are against this or for this, they won’t have a say in it,” Newby said.
cb536511@ohiou.edu
@CarolineBartels
