Colorado State University president Larry Penley is correct when he says banning beer at Hughes Stadium won’t solve student binge-drinking. But since that problem still hasn’t yet been fully addressed – a list of new initiatives was released only Thursday – we have to wonder about the rush to start tapping kegs at football games.
We think CSU would be better off getting its campus alcohol problem under control before lifting last year’s ban on beer sales at games.
Not that we’re necessarily opposed to selling 3.2 beer at football games over the long run, but the school seems to going through an awful lot of unnecessary trouble – and expense – just to make sure the suds are flowing sooner rather than later.
CSU must have felt some big-time pressure from some well-heeled alums if they’re willing to spend an estimated $300,000 just to control tailgating outside the stadium. Beer sales are said to generate only $10,000 to $25,000 in revenue per game. (CSU generally has five or six home football games.)
CSU’s police chief says he’ll reassign officers from traffic duty to participate in a new beer patrol unit that is being tasked to tighten tailgating rules. As anyone who has been to a game in the past 10 years can attest, game-day traffic can be a real mess. Reassigning traffic cops could be a PR disaster and, dare we say it, a safety risk.
In lifting its current ban, CSU would become one of only three Mountain West Conference schools to allow beer sales at football games, joining the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and San Diego State University.
The school unveiled several initiatives this week to curb its alcohol problem, and should be applauded for not wanting to sweep it under a rug. The plans include developing a student-led organization to focus on alcohol-poisoning prevention, creating a “social norms” campaign to increase student awareness of the consequences of binge-drinking and creating a graduate assistantship for oversight staffing in fraternity houses.
But until CSU shows some success with these initiatives, stadium beer sales should wait. Much like the University of Colorado, which has banned Folsom Stadium beer sales since 1996 (of course, those in luxury boxes can still wet their whistles), CSU hasn’t proven they’re ready for the added risk.
We’re confident that CSU will make progress in the effort to get campus alcohol problems under control, but it sends the wrong message to resume beer sales at Hughes Stadium before that takes place. One thing is for sure: The new policy will be a high-profile test for the school’s other alcohol programs.
