It might be St. Patrick’s Day, but drinking in the residence halls is still against the rules

Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day, and for many Kent State students that means drinking – and lots of it.

Next to Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most popular days of the school year for students to go out and party. It begins with “kegs-n-eggs” at 6 a.m. and will go on from there, lasting until the early hours of Sunday morning.

Students who decide to drink and cannot get into the bars may decide to go to a friend’s house or a fraternity party, but some will make the decision to drink in the residence halls.

Those students who decide to drink in the residence halls should take into consideration the alcohol policy for all residence halls.

The Hallways Handbook states that: “Alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverage containers (e.g., bottles, cans, “beerbongs” and kegs) are not permitted in halls that house predominantly underclass students regardless of the age of the resident or visitor.”

Any student caught drinking in the residence halls, where it is not permitted, will be written up, said Amy Quillin, associate director for residence services.

Students who are found drinking have to meet with their residence hall director or will be sent directly to Judicial Affairs if the situation is severe enough, such as cases involving vandalism or where emergency services would need to be called.

It is only within this past year that Residence Services also took on the task of informing parents that their son or daughter was caught drinking. Judicial Affairs had previously conducted the task of informing parents of the situation.

If a student is found responsible for drinking in the residence halls, a letter is sent home to the student’s parents. This letter informs parents of what has happened.

“Our intention is not to be punitive,” Quillin explained. “We are not intending to violate student rights but broaden their sphere of influence and insure student success.

“What we want is to partner with parents and have conversations with students about their choices so they can learn from them.”

Despite this policy, students will probably continue to drink in the residence halls, said Kyle Kochmit, sophomore marketing major who lives in Manchester hall. Kochmit does not view the policy and letter home as a problem.

“It doesn’t bother me because you don’t get in to that much trouble anyway,” said Kochmit, who has not had alcohol in the residence halls. “It’s just a slap on the wrist.”

All colleges are forced to look at this is issue and try to find a solution, Quillin said.

Contact room and board reporter Sarah McGrath at [email protected].