Events with Alcohol

Rice University Alcohol Beverage Policy

The full text of the Rice University Alcohol Beverage Policy can be found here. Please read it over to familiarize yourself with the policy. As adults, all students are responsible for following Texas State laws and the Rice University policy in its entirety as found in the Student Handbook. Ignorance of these regulations will not exonerate an individual or organization from disciplinary action. Sponsoring organizations are held responsible for conformity with both state law and university policy as well as for the individual behavior of their guests.

1. The Rice Alcohol Policy does not and has never allowed students under the legal drinking age to consume alcohol. In compliance with the laws of the State of Texas, Rice University and its agents will not sell, serve or provide alcoholic beverages to any student or other individual below the minimum legal age. Texas law prohibits persons under 21 from drinking alcohol. It is illegal to buy alcohol for, or serve alcohol to, those under 21 and for intoxicated persons to be on premises where alcohol is served.

2. It is the University's policy to prohibit consumption of alcohol by those under 21, and students and other Rice community members must follow all state and federal laws regarding alcohol.

3. Alcoholic beverages will not be sold, served, provided or consumed at any event held in public areas of University buildings or on University grounds and at which students will be present, or at any event that is considered a "public function or party" unless permission is first obtained from the Office of the Assistant Dean of Student Judicial Programs

4. Organizations sponsoring events, on or off campus, at which alcoholic beverages will be sold, served, provided to or consumed by students must demonstrate that reasonable precautions are taken so that no alcohol will be made available to or consumed by any individual not of legal age nor any individual who is or appears to be intoxicated. Whenever alcoholic beverages are present, suitable and attractive non-alcoholic beverages must be equally accessible and featured as prominently as the alcoholic beverages.

5. No Rice University funds or funds collected by the University will be used by the colleges, student organizations, or individual students for the procurement of alcohol. (This, however, does not prohibit colleges from using part of the per capita funds they receive each year from the University in support of colleges activities to fund a college function at which alcohol may be served, including the purchase of alcohol for the event, provided it complies with the Alcohol Policy in all other respects).

6. All organizations, groups, or individuals sponsoring alcohol-related events are responsible for complying with the Alcohol Policy and the law in the conduct of their approved events, as well as for the individual good behavior of their members and guests.

7. Failure to meet the requirements of the Alcohol Policy may be a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and may lead to disciplinary sanctions against the individual student, colleges, groups, or organization.

8. Advertising for social events sponsored by colleges, student organizations and individuals should not focus on alcohol.

Registering Events with Alcohol

At any event where alcohol will be served, permission must first be obtained from the OFFICE OF THE ASSISANT DEAN OF STUDENT JUDICIAL PROGRAMS. To obtain permission, fill out the form available at www.studentjudicialprograms.rice.edu. All applications for approval of an event must include a security plan. The approval of the Master is also required for events occurring at the college OR events sponsored by a college.

All public parties serving alcohol must be registered parties. Public parties include:

• any party taking place in a public area
• any party in a private area for which college funds are spent
• any party that is public in spirit or effect
• parties taking place in private areas and overflowing into public spaces
• private parties publicly announced or advertised to college members or students in general
• "invitation only" events held in public area

Alcohol Service and Consumption

Alcohol may be obtained from a retailer, distributor, Valhalla, or other off-campus establishments. Beer, wine, mixed drinks, and punch are all permissible at public functions. No alcoholic beverage may exceed 30 proof, nor can any beverage be made from alcohol exceeding 100 proof.

NOTE: If money changes hands in any way (admission fee, charge for drinks, donations, ticket sales, etc.), it is considered the sale of liquor and the host must obtain a license (see Sale of Alcohol below). Further information concerning state alcohol permits may be obtained from the Assistant Dean of Student Judicial Programs. The Director of Student Activities is also available should you have a question about whether this applies to your event.

  • At least one person (the host) will assume the responsibility for every event held in public areas at which students will be present and alcohol provided.
  • The host(s) must be present for the duration of the event and must have attended the alcohol server training.
  • Alcoholic beverages may be served only by trained and certified alcohol servers from a well-lighted bar, physically separated from the other refreshment tables.
  • The bar must never be left unattended. An alcohol server should not leave before the replacement server shows up, nor should they allow anyone to serve themselves.
  • Drinks may only be given one at a time to those identified of legal age.
  • Before a guest can be served, s/he must show proper identification in addition to having a wristband.
  • Proper identification consists of either a valid Texas driver's license, a Texas ID, or an out-of-state driver license marked with an adhesive sticker acquired from the campus police. Rice IDs are not acceptable. Non-Rice guests must also show one of these forms of identification.
  • The alcohol server retains the right to deny service to anyone. Be aware of people who return frequently for another drink - they are likely to be drinking in excess or providing drinks to underage drinkers.
  • Whenever alcoholic beverages are present, suitable and attractive non-alcoholic beverages and foods should be equally accessible and featured as prominently as the alcoholic beverages.
  • Once the non-alcoholic beverages and food runs out, the service of alcohol must stop.
  • Access to unserved alcoholic beverages is restricted to the servers and the hosts.
  • No kegs may be tapped one hour before the closing of the event. Hosts must announce a last call for alcohol 30 minutes before the bar will close.
  • No one may be served after the time approved on the registration form. Remaining alcohol must be properly disposed of after the event.
  • State law requires that alcohol service be stopped at 2:00 am and that no one is allowed to drink an alcoholic beverage in a public place after 2:15 a.m.

Sale of Alcohol at Events

In order to comply with Texas state law, any event "selling" alcohol must be properly licensed. The "sale" of alcohol includes charging money for drinks, charging for admission to the event or taking donations. You must also obtain a license if the alcohol is purchased from a distributor.

When only beer or wine will be sold and your event will be held on campus, organizations can request the services of V & W Permits, Inc. to hire either Willy's Pub or Valhalla to provide alcohol service for your event. V&W Permits, Inc. is the license holder for Willy's Pub and Valhalla. Requests for service should be made through the President of V&W Permits, Boyd Beckwith (beckwith@), at least one month prior to the event. Advance notice is required for two reasons, 1) so that the event sponsors can be scheduled to make both a written and oral presentation to V&W's Board of Directors and 2) if the request is denied by the Board of Directors of V&W Permits, Inc. or the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) denies V&W Permit's request for the temporary license to sell beer and wine from a location other than Valhalla or Willy's the event organizaers will still have time to make other arrangements regarding alcohol service.

If the request is granted, the sponsoring organization must pay a $388 (price subject to change) service fee, the cost of bartenders ($10 per hour per bartender during regular operating hours, $15 on Friday evenings and weekends), and the cost of the alcohol to be served. It is illegal for V&W Permits to serve alcohol that is not their own. If a violation is reported by TABC or the campus police there are several ramifications for the offending college or organization and perhaps the entire campus. If the event is off campus and the venue does not hold a liquor license to sell beer/wine, the group will need to hire a caterer with a liquor license.

If hard liquor will be "sold," arrangements for purchase, delivery, etc. must be made one month in advance through an off-campus entity. Texas also requires a license when beer or wine is purchased through a distributor (Coors or Budweiser, for example) and is delivered to anywhere except the Pub, even if it is served without charge. It is illegal to have more than one license at the same location on the same day. Please contact the Assistant Dean of Student Judicial Programs for more information concerning state alcohol permits.

Responsibilities of Party Personnel

HOSTS
At least one person must assume responsibility for each event held in a public area of Rice University where alcohol will be provided, served, sold or consumed.

The Chief Justice must be notified about private gatherings held in the colleges. Note that as soon as the event extends into a public area, it becomes liable under the Alcohol Policy as it is no longer a private event.

The hosts of public events are ultimately responsible for the actions of all alcohol servers and guests and thus must be present for the duration of the event. They must have gone through alcohol server training and will to the best of their abilities assure compliance with the Rice University Alcohol Policy as well as Texas state law.

Specific duties include registering the event, creating a security plan, securing alcohol servers and caregivers, appointing students as security officials, working with the campus police (when necessary), set-up, clean-up, and completing all the appropriate paperwork within the appropriate time restrictions. Hosts are not allowed to work as alcohol servers. Hosts should carefully follow the Event Coordinator Procedure Checklist (see the Forms section).

ALCOHOL SERVERS
Alcohol servers must have completed alcohol server training and have a certificate of alcohol service on file with the Wellness Center for the current academic year. If the alcohol server does not have a certificate on file contact the Wellness Center for further instructions. A list of eligible alcohol servers can be obtained from the Wellness Center. Servers must be at least 18 years of age.

During the event alcohol servers should:

  • Serve only one beverage at a time.
  • Serve only students who can legally consume alcohol and are identified by a wristband.
  • Wristbands should be issued at the entrances to the party or at the point of alcohol service.
  • The wrist banding of a student does not preclude the need for proper identification.
  • Check IDs at each point of service, even though the student has a wristband.
  • Proper ID consists of a valid Texas driver's license, a Texas ID, or an out of state driver's license marked with an adhesive sticker acquired from RUPD.
  • Alcohol servers have the right to refuse service to anyone. If a guest continues to hassle the server, they should have security, the host, or the university police confront them.
  • Access to unserved alcohol must be restricted to the hosts and alcohol servers.
  • Alcohol servers may not work for less than one hour. It is also imperative that they do not leave the bar until a replacement arrives. It is important that they give the next server information on the crowd, i.e. fake IDs, drunk partiers, etc.
  • Alcohol servers or ID checkers are not permitted to drink any alcoholic beverages prior to or during their shift.

STUDENT SECURITY OFFICIALS
The host will appoint security officials, whose role is to enforce the alcohol policy. Their job is to vocally prevent unauthorized people from going behind the bar, causing a disturbance, or bringing alcohol into or removing alcohol from the registered area. They will approach and deal with underage drinkers and those of-age students giving alcohol to minors. They will also insure that intoxicated persons will not enter into or remain at the function. Additionally security officials must be located at all entrance and exit points of the registered area to ensure that no unathorized alcohol is brought in or taken out. The number of security officials necessary will vary with each event. Hosts should factor the expected attendance with the size of the venue and determine the number necessary to perform the aforementioned functions.

If for some reason security officials are unable to ensure compliance with the policy or control the situation, then they should alert the host and contact the Chief Justice, Masters, Resident Associates or, if necessary, the University Police. Events held outdoors should identify boundaries and have security officials monitor the edges.

UNIVERSITY POLICE
The Assistant Dean of Student Judicial Programs, in consultation with the University Police as necessary, will determine the level of police security for an event. Prior to large or significant events, the party host should clarify with the University Police a security plan and respective responsibilities for securing the party and enforcing this Policy, and the host will report these arrangements to the Assistant Dean. The University Police are also willing to include student functions of any size in their routine patrol and to respond to a call for assistance from those responsible parties.

GUIDELINES FOR COLLEGE NIGHTS, PUB NIGHTS, BEER BIKE, AND SIMILAR EVENTS
College Nights, Pub Nights, Beer Bike and other similar events must at all times comply with federal and state alcohol laws and Rice policy. Prior to the events, Masters, Resident Associates and the government of the college should agree on guidelines concerning the consumption of alcohol by students over 21 at these events as well as guidelines for preventing underage consumption. These event guidelines must be consistent with alcohol laws and this Policy and must contain details for student enforcement of this Policy.

SAFETY ASPECTS OF PARTY PLANNING
Close attention must be paid to the safety of those attending any social event.

  • Make sure exits and entrances, stairways, hallways, and elevators are open for easy access.
  • Pay special attention to decorations and keep flammable items such as paper, sheets, etc. to a minimum.
  • Pay attention to overcrowding. Most commons have a maximum occupancy sign posted, but if you are unsure of another area a good rule of thumb is that every person requires seven square feet. To figure out the maximum number of people just divide the area of the room by seven.

Any problems or questions should be directed to the Environmental Health and Safety Department (x4444). Larger parties should work with this department on all the extra details of location (commons, stairwells, basements, courtyards, etc.) stages, bars, decorations and excess people.

Tips for Encouraging Responsible Drinking

  • Provide a wide variety and plentiful supply of non-alcoholic beverages and ice. You can access non-alcoholic recipes here.
  • Provide plenty of food. High protein, moist, low calorie foods are best. Try to avoid salty foods that will stimulate thirst and consequently encourage drinking.
  • Offer viable alternatives to drinking at your event: dancing, games, conversation, etc. Alcohol should not be the primary focus of your party.
  • Use smaller, standard-sized cups for serving alcoholic beverages. An 8 oz. cup will make your supply last longer.
  • Use a theme that does not promote drinking.
  • Preclude guests from obtaining alcohol for underage students by serving one drink at a time and by monitoring the frequency of individuals approaching the serving area.
  • Minitor or cut off guests who might otherwise become intoxicated.
  • If a guest has had too much to drink, do not let them leave the party unattended. Contact one of your caregivers and be sure they are monitored.
  • For mixed drinks and punches use only non-carbonated mixers, such as fruit juice or Koolaid to slow alcohol absorption.
  • Don't push drinks; remember some of your guests may have to drive home.
  • Make sure your facility is large enough to accommodate all guests, has ample sitting room, and has a comfortable temperature at all times.
  • Limit access to the bartenders. Fewer servers encourages longer spacing between drinks and easier monitoring of repeat requests.
  • Stop serving alcohol prior to the end of the party.
  • DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO DRIVE WHILE INTOXICATED.