By Christina Cox

Changes may be coming for students on the Boulevard next fall due to the several complaints that the Student Affairs Office received throughout the year.

According to Joanne Vogel, associate vice president for Student Affairs, her office received complaints from several different constituents including parents, alumni, students, faculty, staff and other community members.

“The concerns ranged from worry about an escalation in dangerous and risky behavior such as overconsumption of alcohol and binge drinking, to observations about the lack of inclusivity and sense of community on the Boulevard,” Vogel said.

According to Jennifer Jones, executive director of student development and programs, the reports of excessive alcohol use, underage drinking, students getting sick, equipment damage, leftover trash and bartenders feeling uncomfortable working at student tents were specifics in these reports.

It is important to note that these are all proposed changes to the Student Boulevard Rules. The release date of the final changes to Boulevard Rules has not been set because the rules are still under review and subject to discussion at the university’s upcoming President’s Executive Council (PEC) meeting, Vogel said.

The proposed changes to the Boulevard include:

• Game day Boulevard wristbands with four pull-off tabs
• One Police Officer present in each student tent during the duration of the Boulevard
• Alcohol formula: 4 bears peer 21-year-old member; 2 additional beers for each 21-year-old guest
• Each member is allowed 2 guests; each member is allowed 5 guests during Homecoming and Family Weekend
• Guest List must be submitted to the Dean of Student Life Office two business days prior to each Boulevard
• Each organization must provide a roster of all members who are 21 years of age and older before the first home game
• No Boulevard tents larger than 20 ft. x 40 ft.
• One location for amplified sound provided by SMU Program Council
• Each group must appoint a cleanup crew to make sure all trash is disposed of
• All student groups requesting Boulevard tent must attend a Student Boulevard meeting before the start of the football season
• Each student group will provide extra security personnel to be stationed behind the bar with the bartender to ensure the policies for the service of alcohol are enforced
• Student groups must appoint 2 TIPS trained sober monitors for their Boulevard tents
• Each group providing alcohol at their tent must have, at a minimum, a 2 to 1 ratio of water to alcohol available
• Student groups that have alcohol at their tend must also provide non-salty food at their tent
• At least one representative from each student group with a tent on the Boulevard is required to attend a Boulevard debriefing meeting to be scheduled for the week following each football game, to review the past weekend’s Boulevard and to work with student and campus leadership to ensure the Boulevard is operated in accordance with guidelines descried in this document

The rules regarding obtaining a game day wristband, providing two officially licensed bartenders from the SMU Athletics’ concessionaire, prohibiting liquor and drinking games, consuming liquor out of paper or plastic cups, shutting down vehicle traffic on the Boulevard, and enforcing rules and consequences for conduct and behavior issues are the same.

These possible changes come from the programming subcommittee of the President’s Committee on Substance Abuse Prevention, according to Vogel.

According to Jones, the subcommittee gathered 15 students from different communities and campus groups to participate in the initial discussions. Half of these students are involved in sororities and fraternities and, as a group, represent organizations like Student Senate, Program Council, New Century Scholars, Hunt Scholars, Resident Assistants and graduate students.

“Additionally, the proposed guidelines were shared at a Vice President of Student Affairs Advisory Board meeting where several more students provided input,” Vogel said.

SMU Student Body President Ramon Trespalacios understands that some students are discontent about the proposed changes in the set of guidelines. To ensure that every voice is heard, Trespalacious encouraged students to email him with any thoughts as well as solutions to problems they see.

“Let’s work together to tackle the situation productively and create a set of suggestions for change,” he said on his Facebook page.

He believes that having the proposed guidelines released now is beneficial because it gives students two months to voice their opinions and suggest changes.

“Let’s act promptly, respectfully and constructively to ensure a fun and safe environment for the SMU Community,” he said.

The Daily Campus will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.