Duke is rolling out new policies aimed at increasing on-campus social gatherings, including funding alcohol for student group events. Students can also reserve campus and residential spaces for social events, including those with alcohol.
The new initiative, called Fun @ Duke, is part of QuadEx and was designed by multiple groups, including Student Affairs, Duke Student Government and the Student Organization Finance Committee.
In conversations with “hundreds of students,” Student Affairs found that “on-campus social events are safer, more convenient to attend and more inclusive due to their costless nature,” according to a Student Affairs guide to holding events with alcohol.
These policy changes only apply to West Campus spaces. East Campus remains a dry campus and alcohol is not permitted, which remains unchanged from the previous policy.
Senior Drew Flanagan, administrative-student liaison and student director of belonging for Fun @ Duke, introduced the initiative at DSG Senate's Wednesday meeting. Flanagan added that during his DSG presidential campaign the previous year, he found that students longed for a “sense of belonging and connectedness.”
“How do we think about creating a space, creating a culture, where people feel empowered to have events on-campus and do things? I talked with about 60-plus students, whether informally, we met for coffee, and the number one response I got was, ‘Well, I just don't know where to start,’” he said at the meeting.
SOFC funding for alcohol
SOFC-approved student groups can now purchase alcohol using SOFC funds. Each group may allocate up to $7 for alcohol per undergraduate over 21 years of age present at an event. There must be one social host — “sober, active bystanders that assist in promoting safe, social behaviors for all those attending” — for every 25 attendees for an event with alcohol.
Events involving alcohol must be approved by Student Affairs and must follow all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
Hosting events on-campus
Registered student groups can access funding from SOFC, the Cultural Engagement Fund and University departments for events. SLGs, LLCs and Quad Councils can access funding through Quad Council representatives, LLC advisors, and residence coordinators, respectively. These groups can reserve spaces on campus on SpaceFinder.
Individuals and groups of friends on campus can reserve residential spaces. While individual hosts will not have access to funding, they are “encouraged to collaborate with Student Organizations and Quad Council on events since those groups have access to funding,” according to the support guide. Hosts must live in the Quad they reserve in.
All events must be registered on Duke Groups.
Guidelines for events involving alcohol
Events involving alcohol may either be a licensed service, a BYO event or a host-provided event.
Licensed services are on-campus venues that hold a liquor license and serve alcohol with no additional charge, including Crown Commons by The Devil’s Krafthouse or The Landing & Patio by The Loop.
BYO events allow for up to six canned beverages of less than 5% alcohol by volume per person. Host provided events use Duke Dining or a third-party vendor to offer bar service or beer through a keg. No common source alcohol is allowed at host provided events, including BORGs, and no more than one keg is allowed per 50 guests. These are allowed on indoor and outdoor spaces, including residential spaces.
Any event with alcohol requires one social host per 25 attendees. Events with alcohol that have over 25 people in a residential space will require a “brief risk management meeting” with an HRL residence coordinator before the event is approved, according to the guide.
Food and non-alcohol beverages must be provided at events with alcohol.
Restrictions on events including alcohol
Events involving alcohol cannot be hosted during orientation week and certain dates based on the University’s calendar, including LDOC, Final Four or National Championships, and any date after the last day of undergraduate classes. These events will be permitted in residential spaces beginning the second week of classes.
Events on the first week of the fall semester are required to be invite-only for those over 21. They must also either utilize on-campus venues that can support licensed service, such as Crown Commons or The Landing & Patio, or create a secure perimeter on an approved on-campus location that can support a licensed vendor.
Events involving alcohol should not be scheduled during class times, be no more than 4 hours, end before 2 a.m., and “refrain from using alcohol in the name or as a recruitment element for the event,” according to the Student Affairs guide.
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Milla Surjadi is a Trinity junior and a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 118.
Audrey Wang is a Trinity junior and editor-in-chief of The Chronicle's 119th volume.