Wet Campus Policy

Avila has gone through many changes in the past two years and with the addition of Thompson Hall, that also means new policies. The new resident's hall was built to keep upperclassmen on campus. The suite style living is designed like an apartment and also has a few extra perks that the under classmen dorms don't have.

One of those perks it that Thompson Hall is a wet dorm. Before you think Animal House, crazy party, let me define the rules for you. The drinking policy is different from suite to suite. To be eligible to drink in your suite there are three things that must be done. One, everyone living in the suite must be twenty-one years old by the first day of class. Two, everyone must complete Alcohol 101 class, which is an instructional CD about responsible drinking. And finally, the students must write a paper in response to what they've learned in Alcohol 101.

At the start of fall semester there were only three suites that were eligible for being a wet suite, and of those three, only one has completed the suite agreement.

Although the residents of this suite are allowed to consume alcohol in their suite, they are not allowed to have any guests under the age of twenty-one in their room while they are drinking. They can also only drink in their suite, which means they are not allowed to drink in anyone else's suite, the halls, parking lot, etc.

The RAs and the RHDs are responsible for regulating the appropriate and inappropriate drinking in the residence halls.

"They are not necessarily looking to bust students for drinking, but they are required to follow policy," said Darby Peoples, Dean of Students. There are also regular room and safety checks at breaks, where every room is checked to see if a resident is breaking the rules. If so, they are written up. If a resident violates another policy, such as noise, the RAs and RHDs are required to investigate. No matter what policy is being broken, there are consequences to be suffered.

If a student does receive a violation from a RA, it is then passed to the RHD of the building in which it happened. If the student happens to live off campus, Jason Baldwin deals with the matter.

If the student is also an athlete, a letter is sent to athletic director, Mike Sharpe, and the coach is informed. It is then upon the coach to deliver additional punishment, if any.

For the first offense, students will face a Level Two sanction. This sanction means the violator will be required to complete the Alcohol 101 CD and write a paper. A student may also be given community service. After the first offense, the policy is somewhat muddy. The second offense depends on how much time has passed since the first violation and the involvement of the resident. Failure to comply with these sanctions will result in a fine for the resident.

Since the policy is new, there will most definitely be some changes in the next few years. Peoples hopes to have the policy laid out in the handbook next year. For more on the alcohol and drug policy, see the Student Handbook pages 18-20.