Hopes that the University will acquire a liquor license to regularly sell alcohol in Levering Lounge are still only a pipe dream, though administrators plan to encourage the use of third-party vendors for the sale of alcohol on campus next year, according to Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell.
The University plans to work with the Student Council to organize a trial event in September to assess the feasibility of such a plan.
Though serving alcohol to students on campus is relatively uncommon, Boswell commented that this in not the result of University policy.
"There is a perception that this is a dry campus, but it is not," she said. "We are not opposed to having events where alcohol is served to students above the age of 21. I'd like to encourage students to start hosting this type of event."
The policy of the University is that student groups may host events at which alcohol is served, but only through a third-party vendor. This change does not establish a new policy on alcohol sale, but instead signals increased cooperation on the part of the University to work with student groups who wish to serve or sell alcohol at their events.
Boswell commented that student groups are not making use of a policy that has the potential to provide a service to them. "I haven't been aware of any student groups taking advantage of this policy recently."
Though the issue has been addressed multiple times since the University lost its liquor license for what used to be called E-Level, this is the first serious consideration it has been given recently.
There has not been a venue for the sale of alcohol to students on campus since the 1999 shutdown of the bar in E-Level. The Baltimore City Liquor Board raided the bar following several reports of underage drinking on the premises.
Early this year, recently installed StuCo Executive President Atin Agarwal made a proposal to Boswell and Assistant Dean Ralph Johnson, seeking to attain a new liquor license for the University.
"I met with them and Dean Boswell gave me the reasons why parts of my plan weren't feasible," Agarwal said. "I wanted to find out what chances we had of getting a liquor license quickly and easily, but she said that just wouldn't be possible."
He added, "We have permission to go ahead with this, and the details will be worked out soon."
So far, only the one trial party has been authorized. If that event goes well, then there is the opportunity for future events of a similar nature to take place.
"I brought this issue up in front of StuCo a while ago, as well," Agarwal said. "I was the one who presented, but a lot of input definitely came from other members of the Council."
Before the University lost its liquor license, E-Level was run as if it were a pub, with service all week long, bracelets to indicate legal drinkers, and security patrols throughout the premises authorized to remove students under the age of 21.
Boswell said that this format is far from what is currently being proposed.
"I was not envisioning that this would be every Friday and Saturday night ... and I imagine that there wouldn't be more than one event on any given day," she said. "But there will certainly be an opportunity to have events where there is some sort of alcohol consumption with some oversight to make sure that under-21-year-olds are not drinking."
Administrators have not yet decided who the third-party vendor will be or if multiple vendors will be utilized.
Agarwal said that the University is aware that underage drinking is taking place, but that this is not an effort to bring illegal drinking onto campus for the purpose of safety.
"They're going to be very strict. This will not provide a place for under-21 year-olds to drink; they're definitely not condoning underage drinking," Agarwal said.
For the time being, Levering Lounge and the Great Hall will be opened simultaneously for this type of event, but Boswell said that she is open to having alcohol served in other places on campus.
