From: sfadden@deimos.ucc.umass.edu (Steve Fadden)
Subject: Re: ALCOHOL:  New Survey
Summary:  University of Massachusetts, Amherst
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 22:01:00 GMT

I'm at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Here are the policies:

First and foremost, the University's police system is just that -- we have 45
municipal police officers who make up the upper-level of University security.

There are also security guards, employee/security escorts, student security 
supervisors and student security receptionists.  Our RA system is one of the 
largest in the United States, with at least one, sometimes two, RA's per floor.

Our on-campus population is about 11,000.  All students must live on campus for
their first two years -- mandatory, unless they're commuters (within 20 miles
or so).  Even non-traditional students (over 23 years of age) are required to
live on-campus (with some exceptions: marriage, commuting, continuing ed., 
etc.) 

All students under 21 are not allowed to possess (open containers) of alcohol; 
there are no searches of rooms, unless there's reason to suspect of illegal 
activity.

There's an open-container policy.  Any RA who finds you in a hallway or lounge
with an open container of liquid (ANY liquid, mind you) can write you up.  If 
you are guilty of having alcohol underage, there's a "alcohol education program"
that you MUST enroll in, as well as pay for (around $50, I believe).  

If you're a multiple offender, you can be kicked out, or expelled.

Let's see...  People 21 or older are allowed to drink in the privacy of their
own rooms (provided the door to the hallway is shut).  

Many local bars, local police are clamping down on fake-ID carrying students, 
with nightly random checks in the lines and in the bars.  Bars are now under 
much scrutiny to see if they are obeying capacity limits.

There is a bar on campus, and a lounge next to the campus restaurant.  Heavily
carded.

It's tough for students who want to party out here, but parties still abound in
the villages and apartment complexes that are in the town and surrounding 
communities.  There's a free bus system (for anyone, no ID needed, no fees) --
so access is pretty open to parties off-campus.  

There are 4 other colleges (Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire, Amherst, and Smith) that
are on the bus route, and they have their own parties as well.

Housing and security are now working on the problem of "RA police" -- most
believe RA's shouldn't have to be responsible for student behaviors.  One
African-American RA was slugged repeatedly when trying to get a drunken 
man to comply with alcohol policy.  He was detained by police, and assault 
charges, as well as civil-rights violations, are pending.

His floor was trashed (grafitti, feces smeared on wall, etc.) by the people 
(non-students) who were confronted.  

It's a pretty sticky situation here, it will be interesting to see how things
change.  Tailgating parties are now legal -- on a trial, this-year-only basis.

That's about all I know; some things may have changed a little, since I moved
off campus two years ago...

- Steve
...............................................................................
: Steve Fadden                                    sfadden@ucsvax.ucc.umass.edu :
: University of Massachusetts, Amherst                              Psychology :
Newsgroups: soc.college