The Miami

Student
Oldest university newspaper in the
United States, established 1826
September 16, 2014
Search
+ +
HOME ! UNIVERSITY ! MUS ALCOHOL POLICY: A TALE OF TWO SIDES
UNIVERSITY
MUs alcohol policy: A tale of two
sides
BY REIS THEBAULT SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
Misunderstanding of university policy at tailgates leaves students searching for answers
When students tailgate before this Saturdays football game, no matter what their fraternity,
sorority or friend may have told them, they will not be legally permitted to drink alcohol.
"
This may come as a surprise for students, but the university stated that student tailgates with
alcohol have never been part of the plan.
With the alcohol policy, nothing has changed, Carole Johnson, assistant director of news and
communications, said. Alcohol is not permitted in the End Zone for student tailgating.
The End Zone, the student area, is one of three tailgating sections. The others include the Red
Zone and the Red and White Club tent. The Red Zone is a general tailgating area where the
public can buy passes to set up tents. The Red and White Club is lled with fans, faculty and
alumni who have donated.
Johnson said alcohol is only permitted in the Red and White Club tent.
The university took issue with The Miami Students Sept. 2 article titled, MU hopes tailgating
increases attendance, which reported word of a policy change allowing students to drink alcohol
at tailgates.
Despite the universitys claim that alcohol was never permitted, a number of attendees reported
otherwise after last Saturdays home game against Marshall.
Senior Lance Greenberg won a free tailgating spot in the Red Zone for Miamis opening game.
He decided to bring his fraternity. He also decided to bring beer. Something neither he, nor
President David Hodge, had an issue with, according to Greenberg.
We were never specically told, You cant drink, Greenberg said. Everyone else in the Red
Zone was drinking. Even President Hodge came by and he seemed like he was open to the idea
of us having a beer.
At the time of publishing, Hodge was unavailable for comment.
Greenbergs fraternity got into trouble with the university last year, so he said they were extra
careful.
We were not going to risk anything if we didnt know for sure that we could drink, he said. It
makes no sense that theyre now telling us we cant drink.
Greenberg is not the only one confused by the policy ip-op.
Junior Jillian White, Kappa Kappa Gammas social chair, was responsible for coordinating the
tailgate for this coming Saturdays game.
She was told in an email from the Interfraternity Council (IFC),this is the rst time Miami will
allow tailgating with an open cooler policy.
According to the IFC email, an open cooler policy allows those who are 21 and older to drink in
the area assigned to us in the parking lot.
White received that email Aug. 25.
We were told that if we were 21 we could drink beer out of red cups, White said.
White was planning a tailgate, one that would involve an open cooler, for this Saturdays game
against Eastern Kentucky. Tuesdays Tri-Council meeting where the executive ofcers of the
National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Panhellenic Association and IFC, as well as the presidents of
each chapter from those organizations were in attendance changed those plans, catching many
people off guard.
We were completely shocked, Ryan Koerner, VP of programming for IFC, said. For the
longest time, we were told one thing and it never wavered, and then this Tuesday, we found out
that everything we had been planning and everything we had been working on had just gotten
completely shut down, in the sense of an open cooler policy.
White said the abrupt change has left plenty of people in disarray.
Everyone is confused, White said. No one knows what [the policy] is.
Associate Vice President for University Communications and Marketing Deedie Dowdle insisted
there is no reason for confusion.
First and foremost, Miamis policy on alcohol consumption did not change, she said. Our
policy has always been consistent with Ohio law, which does not allow open alcohol except in an
area that has applied for and received a liquor permit. The only area that currently holds a liquor
permit in or around the stadium is the Red & White Club tent.
According to Dowdle, the Red Zone, does not have a liquor permit. Yet, the Tailgating
Information section of the Miami Athletics website implies something entirely different as it
addresses all fans and makes no mention of specic sections.
It states: Fans consuming alcohol must present identication to appropriate law enforcement or
university personnel when requested to do so.
That information was published Aug. 26.
The Athletic Department and the university, Koerner said, seem to be on different pages.
I think between the Athletic Department and the university, I believe there was some lack of
communication, he said.
Athletic Director David Sayler suggested that alcohol would be allowed at tailgates in an April
14 interview with The Miami Student.
I think there is an understanding that kind of stuff is what happens on a college Saturday,
Sayler said in the April interview. Its just managing it and monitoring it We want everyone
to have a good time and do it responsibly.
This announcement, Dowdle said, was premature.
My understanding is that [Sayler] was enthusiastic about creating a student Red Zone, and
mentioned several possibilities that were being discussed at that time, she said. One of those
was a proposal to allow alcohol for those of age. Ultimately, it was decided not to change
policy.
Where the university stands now is clear alcohol is not allowed in the student tailgating zone,
nor is it permitted in the general publics zone. However, many students have questions and
many more are angry about the miscommunication.
Charlotte Hult, president of Chi Omega, is one of those people. In an email to her sorority, she
said: Miamis sorority Presidents unanimously decided that we will be BOYCOTTING the
tailgate on Saturday before the game, in order to make a statement to Miami University and
Athletics that tailgating aka allowing students of legal age to consume alcohol in the Greek
Village zone should be permitted in student tailgating zones.
The Greek Village zone refers to spaces in the End Zone reserved by various Greek
organizations.
The Athletic Department would not discuss the alcohol policy and instead referred The Miami
Student back to the university communications team. The only information the university
provided was that the alcohol policy has never wavered.
Meanwhile, students are upset, some are turning their backs on any form of tailgating, but most
of all, as Koerner said, they are confused.
Were still kind of left in the dark.

GRILL MASTER (RIGHT)
SENIOR MIKE MAUDE WITH
RED ALERT
GRILLS AND SERVES
CHEESEBURGERS IN THE
RED ZONE AT LAST
SATURDAYS TAILGATE.



CRADLE OF COACHES
FRESHMAN LOGAN
PLUMLEY TOSSES THE
CORNHOLE,
MIAMI FANS, YOUNG AND
SMALL, MAKE THE WALK
DOWN TO YAGER STADIUM
FOR THE FOOTBALL GAME
SATURDAY.
LEAVE A REPLY
Your email address will not be published. Required elds are marked *
NAME * EMAIL * WEBSITE
COMMENT
SUBMIT COMMENT