The Falcon   |   Volume 81, Issue 26

Published 6/02/10   |   Log In

Off-campus drinking now allowed for students over 21

In an e-mail sent on June 4 to SPU students, faculty and staff, President Philip Eaton announced that, beginning on July 1, "students of legal age will now be able to make their own choices about use of alcohol off campus." Prior to this decision, the last change to Lifestyle Expectations happened when SPU lifted its restriction of on-campus dancing in spring 2001.
Photo credit: FALCON ARCHIVES.

Eaton announces 'newly clarified' Lifestyle Expectations policy

By BETH DOUGLASS, News Editor

Published: June 2, 2010

Dr. Eaton's e-mail announcing the change in policy is available from The Falcon as a downloadable PDF for our readers.

Sophomore Kelsea Schrock found out about the change to SPU’s alcohol policy for students over age 21 when a friend text messaged her about it on Friday.

"I'm glad that they changed it to be the law our country has,” Schrock said, “but I think it's irrelevant because people were doing it already," she said.

Beginning on July 1, students 21 and over may now consume alcohol without breaking SPU Lifestyle Expectations, as long as this activity takes place off-campus.

The university will continue to be a dry campus. No alcohol consumption will be allowed in the residence halls, on campus, or at any SPU sponsored events. Faculty and staff must still refrain from drinking with undergraduate students.

President Philip Eaton made the announcement, which he referred to not as a change but as a “newly clarified policy,” in an e-mail titled “One Last Message of the Year.” He sent the message to all SPU faculty, staff and students on the morning of Friday, June 4.

Much of the 982-word e-mail focused on university’s vision for a Christian community. Alcohol was not mentioned until word 585 and the announcement of the newly clarified policy began at word 812.

In his e-mail, Eaton said that he had spoken with students over time who did not understand why students of legal age were restricted from drinking alcohol, and felt the policy was "out of touch with students' lives."

In an interview on Monday, June 7, Eaton said the issue of alcohol consumption for students over age 21 was something he felt it was important to address.

Across the nation, alcohol has become a huge problem on college campuses, Eaton said. Though he strongly believes that a dry campus is the best way to go, Eaton said he also thinks that education about responsible alcohol consumption can take place more openly with this new policy.

"You can't have an elephant in the room or an elephant across campus that everybody knows is there and not talk about it," Eaton said.

However, the e-mail also emphasized the dangers of alcohol abuse. It stressed the importance of "moderation and responsible choices," and said that students should seek to "to be guided by the teaching of their families and churches."

Professor of English Tom Trzyna said that he thinks the university’s Free Methodist founders had some very good ideas in their views about things like alcohol. Removing temptations and distractions allows people to spend their time more productively, he said.

"I think at moments like this we need to realize that there is a great deal of wisdom in their views," Trzyna said.

Eaton said he felt the new policy was actually very much keeping with Free Methodist history. Free Methodist teachings focus on discernment and choice, and that is what this clarified policy is offering legal students, he said.

"It is not intended whatsoever to be a break with the Free Methodist church," he said.

Approval Process

Rumors of a change to SPU’s alcohol policy had been floating around campus for a while, though nothing had been confirmed.

In the Dec. 2 issue of The Falcon, Opinions Editor Michael Dudley interviewed Jeff Jordan, associate vice president of academic affairs and dean of student life, to see if any changes were underway.

At the time, Jordan said that no action had been taken to amend the policy to make off-campus drinking permissible for students over 21, and that there were also no plans to change the alcohol policy in the foreseeable future.

Friday's announcement came about six months later.

Eaton said that at the time of Jordan's December interview, questions about the policy alteration had only begun to be raised.

"I can't remember the timing, probably only well after that we really began in earnest to have the conversation," he said.

Eaton and the Board of Trustees made the final policy decision, though Eaton said he also spoke with faculty and students about their opinion.

"It was very informal. There wasn't a specific task force or anything of that sort," he said.

The Board of Trustees voted in favor of the clarified policy at their May 20 board meeting. Eaton said the board was "pretty open to it," but their main concern was about the damage to people's lives that can happen when alcohol is abused.

Student Response

Senior Dean Sherry said he absolutely believes that legal-aged students were drinking alcohol off-campus before this announcement was made.

"I think essentially it's just them coming to the realization that that was going on anyway and they don't want to be in denial about it anymore," he said.

Sherry said he does not think this decision will make SPU any less of a Christian university. He said people can go to happy hour and still have a relationship with God.

He also thinks the amount of students who drink off-campus after the policy is enacted will likely about the same amount as those who were drinking off campus before the change.

"I think the main thing it will do is disassociate the guilt that came with it, or the sneakiness," he said.

Senior and Sophia co-president Jenny Gist, pictured at a Sophia event earlier this year, said that while she is excited about SPU's new alcohol policy, she also thinks students need to be aware about the negative effects alcohol can have. Photo credit: FALCON ARCHIVES.

Though senior Jenny Gist said she is excited about the policy change, she does have a few concerns.

Students who have grown up in a home and school environment where alcohol was not consumed may not know what responsible consumption behavior looks like, Gist said.

In addition, she said that situations involving alcohol usually do not lend towards positive treatment of women.

As co-president of Sophia and as a student in the Women's Studies program, Gist said she has heard about how some female students on campus have been raped by male students, in situations where alcohol has been involved.

"SPU already has an under-the-radar record of sexual violence in relation to alcohol use," Gist said. "I know at least of a few.”

Human Sexuality

Though not related to the subject of alcohol, one particular line in Eaton’s e-mail has piqued attention in both students and some faculty members.

At one point in his e-mail, Eaton wrote, "we have called ourselves to counter-cultural commitments about human sexuality, lifting high the biblical ideal of marriage."

Trzyna said he wondered if that line carried a particular subtext.

“I'd say the President is taking this opportunity to state that we are absolutely not going to change our position on sexuality,” he said, “and by emphasizing marriage, I conclude that he's saying we are not going to change our position on homosexuality,” Trzyna.

He added, however, that he does not have an opinion on that decision.

However, senior Cat Gipe, a leader of Haven, said she has seen a lot of Facebook.com discussion wondering what exactly Eaton meant by his sentence about sexuality.

“I don’t want to read into it, but it’s hard not to,” Gipe said.

When someone mentions human sexuality in the context of SPU and mentions a countercultural position, many students will automatically connect this to homosexuality, she said.

Gipe said she realizes that Eaton’s context may be different from this student context. He may be referring to SPU’s stance against premarital sex, or other issues that have to do with sexuality in general, she said.

“It’s too vague to really be able to tell where it’s coming from,” she said. Gipe said she wishes Eaton would clarify in writing what exactly he meant by that statement.

Though most students read the e-mail as being only about the alcohol policy, Gipe said she wondered if there was another purpose included in Eaton’s message, as well.

“It’s like he’s alluding to a change that he did not state,” she said.

Senior and Haven leader Cat Gipe, pictured at a National Day of Silence event earlier this year, wonders if the statement in Eaton's alcohol policy e-mail about SPU's "counter-cultural commitments about human sexuality" and carries undertones about the university's position on homosexuality. Photo credit: FALCON ARCHIVES.

However, Gipe said she hoped that was not the case, especially since she said this year Haven seemed to be in a good place with the university, and that more communication has been taking place between the two.

Eaton said that particular sentence was not trying to imply anything in relation to Haven. It was not meant to be applied more specifically or less specifically to homosexuality, just sexuality in general, he said.

"We have always held up a strong biblical standard of human sexuality," Eaton said.

Jenny Gist said she thought Eaton’s reasoning for including the line about human sexuality was to show that though SPU’s alcohol policy is changing, the university remains on track with its traditional values.

If a religious institution makes a decision that could be seen as secularizing, they will likely want to show that they are still in line with their established beliefs, she said.

“I feel like we’re taking a step forward, but kind of a shy step,” she said.

“It almost says to me, “I remain unwavering in this area as I change the rules about alcohol.””

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