It's the end of Saturday nights as we know them.
Late last week, a new alcohol policy that requires bartenders to control the flow of alcohol in public spaces was adopted by the University after discussion among vice president for student affairs Janet Dickerson, President Nan Keohane and other administrators.
Scheduled to go into effect in the fall, the approved policy implements a proposal drawn up by the Alcohol Policy Committee, which was chaired by Dickerson. The committee plans to meet through graduation to work out the rules and regulations needed to implement the policy, Dickerson said.
Under the new policy, only University-approved bartenders may distribute alcohol in public spaces such as commons rooms, hallways, courtyards, sidewalks or two or more private rooms or apartments that are "co-hosting" a party.
While beer can be distributed free of charge, hard liquor and fortified wines may only be distributed through a cash bar. North Carolina law, however, does not allow cash bars to be operated in areas such as dormitory commons rooms or court yards.
Students may work as bartenders under the new policy, Dickerson said, and the committee will be developing guidelines for training students to bartend in the coming weeks.
In addition to distributing alcohol, bartenders will be responsible for checking student identification and -- as stipulated by North Carolina law -- will be held liable for any alcohol-related incidents at the parties where they serve.
Student members of the Alcohol Policy Committee said they were pleased with the administration's decision to approve their proposal.
"I think we covered the bases and I think there was a lot of good communication between the students and administrators who were on the committee," said Trinity junior Katie Higgins, president of the Panhellenic Council and a member of the Alcohol Policy Committee. "Hopefully, that kind of communication will last into the future instead of ending with the approval of the new policy."
The committee's draft of the alcohol policy was released in the beginning of April. Since then, student response has been almost nonexistent. An e-mail account established to allow students to send their feedback on the proposed policy to the committee received only a handful of messages, and an alcohol policy town meeting held about two weeks ago attracted only one student.
Some Alcohol Policy Committee members attribute student apathy to recent debates about residential life that have preoccupied students.
"The alcohol policy definitely got overshadowed by the residential stuff," Higgins said.
Added Trinity junior Lex Wolf, president of the Interfraternity Council and committee member: "The difference between alcohol and housing is that alcohol is sometimes considered a subset of housing issues."
Wolf, however, also said that student input would be crucial to ensure the success of the policy in the future.
"In order for this policy not to end up in the quagmire that residential life is in now, the Event Advising Center [which helps student groups plan parties] and the administration must solicit and include student opinion. There is a historical mistrust working against this that must be turned around."
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