On Tuesday, September 16, Bucknell Student Government (BSG) and Housing Services hosted a forum discussion with Dean Lantz, Buffalo Valley Police Department Chief Yost, and Public Safety Chief Barilar. The program was created largely in response to students’ questions regarding the revised Bucknell Student Code alcohol policies and the downtown Social Gathering Ordinance enacted in June.
Know The CodeThe program opened up with Dean Lantz discussing the major changes that were made to the Student Code of Conduct and alcohol policy. After extensive research that investigated the best practices at other institutions, it became clear that Bucknell needed to review its entire code of conduct. There was a great deal of input from groups such as the Committee on Campus and Student Life (CCSL), a committee consisting of six students, six faculty members and two administrators, who reviewed the drafts in April and provided meaningful direction for edits and changes. You have probably seen a handful of prominent “Know The Code” posters around campus highlighting a few of the major changes, but just in case you haven’t a summary of the most important changes you as a student should be aware of is below:
No More Point System Yes, the rumors are true. Bucknell got rid of the traditional alcohol point system because it focused too heavily on discipline rather than student behavior. Under the previous points system, one bad decision could negatively impact a student’s entire academic career. The new system, however, focuses on behavior modification through education by allowing for short-term sanctions to ensure that students learn from their mistakes.
You may be wondering what happens to your “old,” previously accumulated points now that an entirely new system is in place. Students that have required previous sanctions (i.e. points) through the old conduct system will maintain their current record. However, if any future sanctions occur, they will not be based on the points previously earned. Instead, sanctions will be placed on the past incident itself. Furthermore, students who have points will be eligible to have them completely removed on September 15 of their senior year.
Sanctions In replacement of points, various sanctions have been implemented with changes to the Code. These sanctions have a much greater educational focus, aimed at changing behavior, and are determined by the Community Conduct Board, a hearing board, based on the specific details of a given incident. There are a number of different sanctions ranging in severity from low-level warnings all the way up to expulsion. Warnings do not become a part of a student’s record.
A Larger Review BoardIn the past, only one person would review a student’s conduct case. Now, a team of seven hears cases on a regular basis. By having more trained conduct officers on staff, Bucknell can provide more individualized attention to students efficiently and effectively implementing the Code and further helping students understand and change behavior so violations are not repeated.
Process of AdjudicationThe overall process of adjudication, or settlement, has changed. The new Code has implemented a “pre-hearing resolution.” The solution holds that if a student accepts responsibility for violating the Code of Conduct, he or hse will have the opportunity to address the violation without a formal hearing.
Ultimately, all the changes made to the Code of Conduct have been written in an affirmative tone and are guided around the Community Responsibility Statement. The full Code of Conduct can be found online through the Bucknell Student Handbook.
Know The Ordinance
After the new Code of Conduct was reviewed, the focus of the talk shifted to the new Downtown Ordinance, or Ordinance 1027 to be specific. Judging from the Q&A session that followed, it was clear that this was the portion of the discussion that most students had showed up to learn about. Rumors of the new Downtown Ordinance had been circulating since last summer, but even once students got back on campus, details of the new ordinance were still pretty little hazy to most. Chief Yost of the Buffalo Valley Police Department took the stage and showed several images of houses along St. Catherine and 7th Street after massive parties had taken place. Needless to say, the images revealed beer bottles abandoned on porches, hundreds of plastic cups littered across trampled lawns, and piles of garbage lined up and down the streets. These images were used to make the point that while it may seem like we live in a bubble, Bucknell students are not the only people living in Lewisburg Borough and our parties, while no doubt super fun, can have a negative impact on the community as a whole. Sometimes our parties tax police resources, and sometimes people get too intoxicated and tax hospital and emergency facility resources. We do not always clean up after ourselves and we like to play our music very loud. We certainly can continue to have our fun jumping up and down on risers with our friends singing oldies at the top of our lungs, but it will take a little more work to get there. Below is a recap with information on what you need to know about registering your downtown house for a party and what exactly you as a homeowner are responsible for:
When You Need a PermitYou need to obtain a permit if you plan on having a regulated social gathering – whether it is inside your house or in your backyard! What exactly is a regulated social gathering you ask? It is a gathering of persons for the purpose of social interaction where alcoholic beverages are served or consumed and is attended at any one time by more than seventy-five persons, regardless of age. Sounds like a party to me!
The Permit Application: Fast Facts
- On the permit, you need to identify the source of alcoholic beverages. Unacceptable responses include fraternity kegs and BYOB. Acceptable responses include Beer Barn
- You must describe the manner in which the hosts will prevent the furnishing of alcoholic beverages or the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors e.g. checking IDs at the door, risk management outside the door
- You must provide a sketch of the open and interior spaces of the house, including square footage
- A copy of the permit must be readily available on the premises and on request by the police
- You must register your permit FIVE business days (make sure to give yourself a full week) prior to your regulated social gathering
- There is a $25 application fee for each permit registration
- The permit must be signed by TWO hosts. ONE must reside in the house where the social gathering will be held
- For every 100 people you intend to host, you will need to rent ONE Porta Potty
Your RightsIf your permit is approved, you are good to go in terms of hosting your party. However, by signing your name to the permit, you as a homeowner, agree to accept all responsibility for any disorderly behavior or behavior constituting a public disturbance that occurs on the premises of your social gathering. What exactly constitutes a public disturbance? Any act by a host or those persons attending a gathering involving public drunkenness, consumption of an alcoholic beverage in public, public urination or defecation, the damage to or on private property, the obstruction of public roads, streets, highways, or sidewalks, interference or obscene language or gestures, indecent exposure, fighting or quarreling or any other act defined as “Disorderly Conduct.”
Hosting homeowners carry a great deal of responsibility on their shoulders. However, guests will no doubt be eternally grateful for your willingness to throw a great party.
It may or may not come as a surprise that the only residents who have registered a permit for a regulated social gathering so far in the Lewisburg Borough are Bucknell students. The ordinance has clearly implemented some strict, and often confusing, rules and regulations. These are just some of the most fundamental aspects of the new ordinance, and we encourage you to do more research before you host your first party. If you desire to read all the specific details of the Social Gathering Ordinance, a PDF can be found online at http://www.lewisburgborough.org/TDE_CMS/database/userfiles/1027%20-%20Signed.pdf. If you are interested in hosting a party soon, you can find the application here: http://www.lewisburgborough.org/police.htm.
In the meantime, we can still have our fun so long as we plan a full week in advance.