Since the trial run last semester, bar parties have returned to UR, but with a number of new restrictions.
The bar busing task force, established after an incident early last semester, has produced a document with many new guidelines for the parties.
One of the additions to the new restrictions is that anyone under the age of 21 prohibited from taking the buses to or from the bar when the parties take place.
‘When we took a look at similar schools to us, we could find virtually no schools that had anything similar to the bussing that we have,” Dean of students Matthew Burns said. ‘We wanted to find a way to be able to bus students over 21 to bars, but we could find no reason to bus students under 21.”
Freshman Class Council President Matt Lavigueur said he thinks the impact will be minimal for freshmen. ‘Everyone in the freshman class is under 21 and can’t drink, so going to bar parties isn’t that big a deal,” he said.
However, freshman Rebecca Earl disagreed. ‘I think it’s kind of unfair, because my friends and I like to go to the bar parties to dance, not drink,” Earl said.
In order to ensure that the bar nights go smoothly, a bar night review group will meet regularly to review policies and decide who can have the parties on what nights.
Some of the topics that the review group will discuss include off-campus pick-up locations, which circumvent the new policies; ‘bar nights” that are advertised to everyone on campus but provide no transportation; and group and individual responsibilities for incidents occurring at bar parties.
‘The review group will be appointed by myself and might include some members who are currently on the bar busing task force,” Burns said.
Specifically, the group will include one staff member from UR Security, one staff member from Wilson Commons Student Activities, one staff member from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and two students.
uoon boarding busses going to bars students will need a government- issued ID and a UR student ID. The use of colored wristbands, as utilized by the Senior Class Council for the trial bar party late last semester, is mandatory. However, the bar party review group expressed an open mind to other suggestions. As long as the suggestions ensure that only students eligible for busing board the bus and would prevent rushing of the buses by a crowd.
The process to secure busing for bar parties by various campus groups has also changed.
Requests for bar nights must be submitted to the Dean of Students Office at least two weeks in advance.
Any group that requests busing must have a ‘reasonable” number of students over 21 to be determined by the review group.
The review group will only allow one ‘unrestricted” bar night open to all students over 21.
‘Restricted” bar nights can be given busing with more restrictions than an ‘unrestricted” bar night, but students under 21 still may not use University busing.
A ‘restricted” bar night is one that is not open to all undergraduates, that has a set list of students attending and cannot be publicized to the general population.
‘If a fraternity or sorority wanted to have a mixer at a nightclub and they had a set list of students attending, that would constitute a “restricted’ bar party,” Burns said.
The new busing policies are currently in effect.
