Posted on 09/28/2005 8:04:21 AM PDT by Cagey
COLONIE -- There's a new drinking policy at Siena College.
No drinking.
Of anything.
Even water. Or iced tea. Or coffee, Red Bull or lemonade. Or vodka or beer, for that matter, in case anybody gets any bright ideas.
According to a policy dated Sept. 17, students are "no longer allowed to consume alcohol or any other beverage in any type of container outside of their townhouse or in any public area on campus."
College officials maintain the rule is meant to increase security after a spate of off-campus party crashers showed up early this semester, and police responded to noisy gatherings outside student apartments. Some outsiders were arrested for burglarizing apartments during those parties, using the hurly-burly for cover.
Because students weren't abiding by campus rules to register all outside guests, officials decided they had to crack down to reduce the gatherings. "Safety first, that's what it's all about," Siena spokeswoman Janet Gianopoulos said.
But does the new policy also mean a person who buys a Pepsi in a vending machine on the Loudonville campus and opens it on one of the lush quads is breaking the rules?
Yes, Gianopoulos said. But they can crack open that drink once they reach their residence, she added.
And people would be able to buy beverages and consume them in dining halls, she said, as well as at school-sanctioned events.
According to an e-mail obtained by the Times Union, Siena officials don't plan on citing offenders for every little violation. But on nights and weekends, RAs may require students to empty their containers no matter what's in them.
Gianopoulos reported the policy is being adhered to. She said campus security officers had asked a few people -- who belonged on campus -- to take their cups and move inside last weekend.
Not everybody's thrilled with the restrictions: A cartoon in the Sept. 22 Promethean, the student newspaper, shows a person engulfed in flames begging for water. "And get caught with an open container?" an observer says. "What're you, stupid?"
Interviews with Siena students indicated that not everybody was familiar with the policy. A handful of students walking around campus with drinks either hadn't heard of the new rule or said they weren't afraid of it; some said they knew of others forced to dump beverages by authorities, but hadn't lost liquids themselves.
One, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, said his residence assistant announced the changes during a dorm meeting and pointed to people holding colas and water. They're verboten outside of dorm rooms, he was told, and would result in getting written up.
Another, sophomore Michael Carr, said he saw somebody told to empty a Starbucks coffee outside a dorm.
He was later questioned about the contents of his Poland Spring bottle. "I was a little annoyed," he said. "I thought that was a little stupid."
Like many students, Carr acknowledged that the early semester partying got out of hand and he was happy to see administrators cracking down on bad behavior.
But the no-beverages-in-public policy seemed to go a bit far, he said. Some who keep tabs on student alcohol abuse said that the restrictions went deeper than any others rules they'd seen. Gianopoulos said officials may revisit their decision at some point. The campus is a welcoming place, she said, but added, "We do not welcome activity such as the ones which occurred earlier this semester."
I thought it might be Siena Italy at first glance.
Even the source isn't too clear about exactly where this is. Apparently upstate New York from the copyright notice on the website . . . but it really would help if you could put it in the title (in brackets) or in the comments section. Thanks.
When beverages are outlawed....only outlaws will consume beverages.
I wish they'd implement a "No Breathing" policy at certain colleges and universities, as well.
No better way to incubate a disdain for good rules than to make a bunch of really stupid ones.
I know I feel safer now
Here's a lawsuit in the making. Not even water, I'd grab 2 bottles and wait for the campus police, followed by a hefty lawsuit.
Siena college is just north of Albany, New York.
Did they turn off all of the 'water-fountain-containers' on campus as well?
What about the sprinkler systems?
I would freeze my alcohol/drinks and then they would be solids and therefore chewable...
"No better way to incubate a disdain for good rules than to make a bunch of really stupid ones."
Imagine paying $20,000 a year so your child could be treated like this? They can't drink a Pepsi outside, but inside they are smoking a doobie....hmmmm.
I wonder if they have drinking fountains on campus which have been shut off in compliance with this policy. If any students suffer health problems because of consuming fewer fluids than is good for them, it would seem that the college could be setting itself up for legal trouble.
So how is this supposed to solve the problem? There will still be parties, and a bright criminal could still use the hubub as a distraction. So everything will stay the same, except you can't take a cup of coffee with you to class. WTF?
Ahhh, my old Alma Mater. Boy things have sure changed since 1983. Back when I attended you had to fight off the Friars to get to the Beer Keg first.
Apparently, you can use an insulin syringe to inject vodka into frozen oranges...
How about communion wine in the chapel?
Thanks! "She doesn't know the territory!"
Going back to my college smart ass days, I would be tempted to empty a couple of Mountain Dew bottles, fill them with urine, let them ripen for a few days and just wait to be told to dump them out and aim to splash the RA while doing it.
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