Julia Sand/Winonan
Possession of shot glasses and alcohol advertisements anywhere on the Winona State campus will result in a warning under the clarified Student Code of Conduct policy.
The policy points out that there should be no alcohol- pertaining advertisement or anything giving the idea of rapid alcohol consumption, like shot glasses or beer bongs.
“It was always in the policy, but now we cleaned it up and made it more clear for students to understand,” said Alex Kromminga, director of student conduct and citizenship.
It’s about promoting the rules and making sure people are aware, Kromminga said.
Resident and community assistants and orientation leaders were educated regarding should be less strict, since we’re not going to allow those alcohol-related policy on the policy of the institution and passed that information on to new students.
Christina Ware, a freshman living in Lucas Hall this semester, said she found out from word-of-mouth and her resident assistant.
Promotion of this new policy was successful, but students have differing opinions regarding its validity.
“I think it makes sense because it’s a dry campus, but I can see where people would say ‘it’s my choice,’” said junior Morgan Fleischer, a desk assistant in Lucas Hall.
Sara Cotter, a sophomore living in East Lake, also said that it is a good policy since Winona State is a dry campus.
Cotter said that even though the policy may cut back on campus drinking, perhaps it should be less strict, since authorities don’t know what students are using the supposed alcohol-related items for.
“Sometimes people have wine glasses that they just like to drink out of,” Cotter said.
Ware and Fleischer agreed that those who are going to drink will drink, and this policy might not affect alcohol consumption on campus.
Kromminga is not oblivious to this.
“It happens,” he said. “I know things happen on campus, but we’re trying to make a stand of ‘We’re not going to do that.’”
Another way Winona State is further enforcing and promoting this policy is putting stipulations on items sold around campus.
“During Homecoming there are groups that try and sell shirts that promote alcohol, and kind of things to happen on campus,” Kromminga said.
The overall goal is consistency and to stop the promotion of alcohol in any form on campus.
“Residence halls have to reflect the policy. It is more so to be consistent,” said Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life Candice Guenther.
With Winona State being a dry campus, but the policy blurry, students may have been getting mixed messages, Guenther said.
Kromminga said students caught disobeying this policy will be warned on a first offense with no alcohol involved. If caught more than once, or with alcohol, further consequences will be enforced.
This is not the only new alcohol-related policy on campus.
Signed at the end of April, the Medical Amnesty policy encourages students to call for help in alcohol-related emergencies.
For example, if a student calls police because a friend is in need of medical attention, that student will not necessarily receive a University Conduct violation, Kromminga said.
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