Lake Superior State University Alcohol Policy
FAQ

-- Overview --

Building by building (housing units)

Brady, Osborn and the Student Village are dry residence halls. NO alcohol is permitted in these areas regardless of age.

Moloney, Neveu and Marquette are permitted to have alcohol as long as all students in the apartment are 21 years of age. If there is a mix of ages, alcohol is not permitted in the common areas that are shared with minors or in bedrooms occupied by minors.

Townhouses are permitted to have alcohol as long as all students in the townhouse are 21 years of age. If there is a mix of ages, alcohol is not permitted in the common areas that are shared with minors or in bedrooms occupied by minors.

Row Houses are permitted to have alcohol as long as all students in the house are 21 years of age. If there is a mix of ages, alcohol is not permitted in the common areas that are shared with minors or in bedrooms occupied by minors.

Other

Decorating of a room/house is allowed to consist of alcohol related signs, mirrors, posters etc. Such decorations are not to be displayed publicly – i.e. windows, outside of doors, porches, etc.

Alcohol containers are not allowed for display in any residence hall.

Empty alcohol containers that are returnable (empties) are not allowed in any dry area. In areas that allow alcohol, empties need to be stored in a sanitary manner and returned for deposit promptly. Empties should never be stored outside the living units (that includes porches).

FAQ’s on the Alcohol Policy

 1. Why is there a new alcohol policy?

The past policy left major gaps in responsibility and liability. The new policy clearly states that minors are not to consume alcoholic beverages on campus. It also defines social settings that are and are not appropriate for alcohol. The new policy also limits the availability of alcohol to minors by not allowing access to social events in Housing units where alcohol is present. In the last three to four years there has been a growing number of underage students who have been taken to the hospital for alcohol related incidents – the University recognized the problem and the new policy is part of an overall program to address underage drinking. We’ve all heard about students dying from drinking – we don’t want that to happen at LSSU.

2. What do you hope to accomplish with this new policy?

We’ll never know if it actually happens, but we’re hoping that we have saved a life. Outside of that, it needs to be clear that LSSU is an institution of higher education – we’re not blind to the fact that students want the opportunity to have a good time, but there are alternatives to drinking and as a campus and the Sault Ste. Marie community, we need to help in offering those alternatives. There is a lot of time, energy and money that students spend on alcohol…with the opportunity, we hope to direct those resources to programming that doesn’t revolve around alcohol.

3. Do you have any fears regarding the policy?

I don’t have concerns about the policy. I am concerned about students knowing state and local laws. No matter the alcohol policy at LSSU, state and local laws prevail. It is still against the law to consume alcohol off campus if students are under 21 (in the U.S.). There are also strict laws about driving under the influence for student who cross the border. The MIP law has been revamped in Michigan as well – minors who are intoxicated can be arrested for having alcohol in their system. If a student between 19 and 21 can prove in a court of law that they were in Canada to consume the alcohol, the charges can be dismissed. I want to make clear that a student CAN be arrested for the offense, and the dismissal would come from a court of law after the judicial process begins. Driving under the influence of alcohol for a person under 21 in the U.S. is still zero-tolerance no matter where the alcohol was consumed.

4. The old policy says that it was enacted to comply with the federal drug-free school and communities act of 1989, is this new policy based of this same act, or has new legislation been passed?

It is still under the same legislation. This was not in response to a federal policy change.

5. How will all aspects of this policy be enforced?

We want to make sure that we are making decisions with the safety of our students in mind. Drunk driving will be handled by the local authorities. The LSSU Public Safety Department will be working closely with the Residential Life Staff to enforce the policy on campus. If the situation warrants, local authorities may be called at the discretion of University personnel. There are certain things the University can handle and then there are things that are out of our realm.

The hosts of a social gatherings will be responsible for their guests. There need to be further discussions with student groups to guide the process of “how” to continue to support social gatherings. We’re starting immediately – meeting with IGC and as questions arise, we are working to answer them as a staff. The policy was written to make a positive change at LSSU - not to spoil the fun at LSSU.

6. Will this policy affect housing as far as roommates are concerned in the future? Will minors be allowed to live in dorms with roommates that are over 21, or will dorms be separated to all underage/all overage?

Where there are mixed ages of students, we let them know that the alcohol policy makes their “unit” a dry unit. That will continue. Brady, Osborn and the Student Village will remain dry – while the upper-classmen areas will permit alcohol as long as all students in the unit are 21.

7. Isn’t this going to affect areas off campus?

There are some potential effects in the community. We are in the process of building a community coalition to deal with underage drinking and how best to address it. We know that writing a policy is not going to cure the problem. This policy is part of an overall effort to reduce underage drinking. Underage drinking is not a problem that is isolated to LSSU – schools and communities around Michigan and the rest of the United States are hoping to find all the answers. As a state institution, LSSU needs to be a leader in the effort – we are taking the first steps.

8. What else is there for underage students to do?

We live in an area that offers many different types of opportunities. It doesn’t matter if students are 18 or 118. There are outdoor recreational opportunities that students can take advantage of year-round. From camping, hiking, biking, and golf in the fall to downhill and cross-country skiing, sledding and skating in the winter months. There are also indoor activities that are available on and off campus – athletic events, indoor recreation areas like the SAC, residence hall programming and spontaneous student programming. There are also movie theaters, bowling alleys, malls, day spas and tourist attractions that our students can visit.

We need to use resources better such as the International Bridge bus that transports students across the International Bridge many times each day. There is no excuse for a student to be bored at LSSU. The student groups at LSSU can also continue to contribute quality programming for each other. If we need to look at extending hours in areas like the Student Activity Center, the university is willing to make those commitments if students will use it. Every student needs to make the effort to entertain themselves – we cannot possibly offer something that every student is going to enjoy everyday, but as illustrated, the potential is out there to fill the down times.

9. What do other schools do?

 After some research on the web, we are now in line with other state institutions.

10. Is this policy set in stone?

 Yes. We may need to make some additions to address academic settings. We are going to continue to evaluate the policy to ensure the safety of students.

11. Isn’t this going to drive students away?

If students are not coming to LSSU because the alcohol policy concerning minors is too strict, those students may not be the best fit for LSSU in the first place. Most students expect that minors are not permitted to consume alcohol when they enroll.

12. Why such a drastic change from the old policy?

The new policy is not as drastic as many may think. It does cut out some of the detail such as the “how to” of hosting a social gathering. The new policy simply states that minors are not allowed at social gatherings where alcohol is present. That is the biggest change. It was not clearly stated in past policy. It was stated in the old Residence Hall handbook that alcohol was permitted in the Row, Townhouses and Apartments as long as all residents were of legal drinking age. It was not always enforced that way – it also led to many problems with consistency in disciplinary actions. We are now enforcing an entire set of practices and policies.

13. What other changes were made?

 The sanctions are clarified – there was never a clear picture of what would happen for each alcohol offense on campus. The new policy includes a chart for first, second, third and fourth offenses.

14. What has the reaction been?

Mixed. Some are happy, others leery and yet others are angry about the change. We know that this is a huge cultural shift for the University community. There have been a number of years that we’ve been stretched so tight that getting a handle on underage drinking was not a priority. Hopefully over the next year the faculty, staff and administration can work with the student body to make this monumental change at our institution. We will monitor the effects of the policy, the community coalition and how best to proceed in the future.