Banning the Booze

It might seem counterintuitive to suppose that a clash between students from two of the country’s finest colleges would spontaneously combust into a medley of drunken messes, but the Harvard-Yale Game is proof that having near perfect SAT scores does not preclude anyone from disastrous behavior.

When talking about The Game, however, very few people actually think about the game itself. To many, the real highlights of that Saturday in November are going to be the pregames and tailgates. On this front, Yale seems to have Harvard beat; time and time again people say the Yale tailgates are more accessible and, surprisingly, more fun. This hasn’t always been the case: Prior to 2004, Harvard tailgates were fairly free-flowing. How and why did the rules change over time? What did undergrads do to bring about such strict rules?

HARVARD-YALE 2002 & 2004

The fuss over dangerous drinking at The Game began in 2002, when, according to past issues of The Crimson and Harvard Magazine, nine students ended up hospitalized with alcohol-related illnesses and a student almost died from alcohol poisoning. The College at that point in time had already sought to curb underage drinking at the tailgate by requiring ID checks to buy alcohol and by banning kegs to discourage dangerous drinking.

The 2004 game did nothing to ease administrative concerns; it was apparently a mess on Crimson wheels, leaving 29 students ousted from the game (11 from Harvard, 15 from Yale, and three others), 97 IDs confiscated, and two people arrested. Further, 30 alcohol-related hospitalizations occurred during or immediately following the Game, and two students were charged with possessing and distributing cocaine. Boston Police Capt. William Evans surveyed the tailgate and found students doing everything from drinking straight out of liquor handles to urinating in public. In a past interview with The Crimson, Evans stated, “I was embarrassed to be a policeman on that field seeing what I had to see.”

CRACKING DOWN: POLICY CHANGES in 2006 & 2008

It’s not much of a surprise, then, that in 2006 the College decided to amend its tailgate policies. Although kegs had been banned since 2002, then-Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 entered negotiations with the Boston Police Department and decided that the best way to prevent binge drinking at the tailgate was to ban alcohol entirely. Further, all tailgates were required to end at the game’s half-time. By comparison, the rules at Yale the previous year only banned drinking games and required that tailgates end by the beginning of the third quarter.

In 2008, the policies for the Harvard-Yale tailgate were changed again to align them with Boston Police Department regulations on university sporting events. The rules dictated that tailgates begin only two hours before the game and forced them to shut down by the beginning of the game, at noon. House Committees were allowed to again serve wine and beer to 21+ students, but students were not permitted to bring in their own alcohol. Kegs were still outlawed.

RULES 2010

The 2008 rules have remained largely unchanged this year (besides a provision requiring 21+ students to wear a wristband); tailgates can still only begin two hours before the start of the game, and they must completely shut down by noon when the game begins. Tailgaters at that point will be required to clear the tailgate field, either making their way into the game or leaving altogether. “The rules of the tailgate are consistent with the rules of tailgates generally in Boston ...They’re based on a license we have with the city,” says Dean of Student Life Suzy M. Nelson.

Access to alcohol will be largely in the hands of House Committees. According to Julia M. Fifer ’11, Lowell HoCo co-chair, the HoCo tailgates will be in close proximity to each other, hopefully creating a central space for students to hang out with friends. “We don’t have any specific games planned for the Lowell HoCo Tailgate yet, but all the HoCos have joined together to share one sound-system and one big space. We’ll obviously have drinks,” says Fifer. She adds, “In addition to beer and Franzia, we’ll have hot chocolate and other staples.”

THE COMPLAINTS

Still, students don’t seem extremely happy about many of the rules. One of the biggest criticisms of the rules this year, which are essentially the same as they were in 2008, is the requirement that all tailgates shut down at noon. The Undergraduate Council is seeking to negotiate an amendment to these rules. “Because the tailgates close at noon, which obviously stinks compared to Yale, we’re trying to see if we can have the tailgate continue after the game ends. We’re talking to the administration,” says Matthew S. Coe-Odess ’12, committee chair of the UC’s Social Life Task Force.

Another issue is the continued restriction against kegs. “It’s statistically proven that kegs are safer—you’re not gonna shotgun beers and you have to wait your turn to get to the keg so you’re not going to drink as much. Plus it’s environmentally friendlier,” says Coe-Odess.

Interestingly enough, the notorious 2002 and 2004 tailgates were both keg-less, potentially indicating that the policy itself hasn’t done much to curb dangerous drinking. Some argue that banning kegs will actually encourage dangerous drinking. “I find it a pointless regulation—students are still going to be drinking. I’m still going to be drinking,” says an underage member of the class of 2013, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem—I think the restrictions are better than they have been in the past. And I mean, those who want to drink beforehand will find a way to do so,” says Coe-Odess.

Regardless, students are reminded by the Office of Student Life that the rules aren’t meant to stop anyone from having fun. “We want to make sure that people aren’t overindulging in a way that’s unsafe so that no one gets hurt,” says Nelson.