This fall, Fairfield University has enacted a ban prohibiting kegs and other large common containers on campus, leaving many students up in arms.
Previously, students who lived in townhouses on the Connecticut campus were able to purchase kegs with the school's permission.
Thomas Pellegrino, dean of students at Fairfield, said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald that he is suggesting the university look into new and meaningful ways to help create a safer and healthier campus, not necessarily a dry one.
The amount of alcohol students are allowed to possess at parties has not changed, Pellegrino noted, but only alcohol limited to bottle and can containers.
"[Party hosts] have a better chance of regulating who is drinking in their residence if they are serving alcohol in individual containers than they do with large, common source containers," Pellegrino wrote.
Since enacting this ban, Fairfield has joined the majority of universities in Connecticut in not allowing students to have kegs on campus, he added.
The consequences of prohibiting barrels on campus, though, are becoming a major concern among the dean and local residents. As a result of the ban, students drive to off-campus beach homes to drink from kegs, where such containers are allowed and beer is less expensive.
"Drunk driving has become a more prominent issue on campus," Fairfield junior Theresa Cortese said. "People are driving to the beach houses, drinking and driving back to campus more than ever before."
Previously, rowdy parties did not disturb much of the residential community. Now, some homeowners question why the ban is limited to the campus area only.
"Why ban kegs at the university? Because they promote drunkenness, misbehavior and lawlessness," Paige Herman, a local resident, said. "It's no different at the beach."
Madison's pending parks ban
In alcohol-related concerns closer to home, the City of Madison Parks Division is discussing an alcohol ban for all 260 local parks.
Madison Parks Superintendent Jim Morgan said Vilas Park is an area of great concern because it holds the largest tailgate parties before home football games. However, he added a ban is far from being enacted.
"There is lots of work to be done before it could happen," Morgan said. "There are so many good uses of alcohol-like family get-togethers and tailgate parties that it would be very difficult to ban completely."
Alcohol has already been banned in 18 of the city's parks, and some agree that further bans should be placed on a case-by-case basis.
UW junior Robyn Spiess said banning alcohol in all of the city's parks would diminish the friendly and positive environment of many of them.
The City of Madison has created a subcommittee to examine this issue.