Hammonds commissioned an alcohol committee headed by Cabot Co-House Master Rakesh Khurana and Nelson. The committee began formulating ideas in November 2011 of what the alcohol policy might look like by hosting seven open meetings for students to share their opinions. Very few students showed up to the gatherings, leading the committee to distribute an online survey for students instead.

Despite the low turnout, Hammonds said that most of the new policy was shaped by student input. House Committee co-chairs and administrators pointed to the reintroduction of mixed drinks at House Formals next academic year as evidence of collaboration and compromise. The inclusion of mixed drinks is considered a pilot program, intended to provide students with a chance to demonstrate responsible drinking. The policy states that the alcoholic beverages must contain mixers and no more than one standard measure of alcohol and must be served by a licensed bartender.

While the new policy creates opportunities for controlled drinking at on-campus events, administrators have taken steps to tighten their grip on alcohol in private settings. Currently, students can find information on the College’s stance on alcohol in the Harvard Student Handbook. The handbook states that underage drinking is prohibited, as determined by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and roughly outlines the steps that administrators may take if a student is caught repeatedly drinking excessively. The amnesty policy, which promises that there will be no disciplinary action against intoxicated students who seek medical attention and those who help them, is also outlined in the handbook.

The new policy specifies the kind of drinking habits that are prohibited on campus stating, “Activities that promote high-risk drinking, such as excessive and/or rapid consumption of alcohol, particularly of a competitive nature, are not permitted.” Hammonds says that the rule is meant to provide a universal guideline to House Masters and tutors for determining what behaviors should be considered infractions. The statement’s broadness, she says, gives House Masters the freedom to maintain the character of their community.

“While administrators across the residential system are working to promote the core principles of student health and safety, I think people are also trying to be very creative and attentive in the ways they incorporate those principles to their own local culture.” Hammonds says.

But as the policy has yet to be implemented, tutors grapple with how they will enforce the policy once it takes effect. The policy requires students to meet with tutors before they host their first private party of an academic year. A private party is defined as an event in a student’s room or suite where guests are allowed in by personal invitation only. What is entailed in these conversations may vary from House to House, suggesting that the policy may not be able to achieve the standardization it strives for.

“If the College should decide to leave the specific response to a drinking game to the tutor checking in on the party, I imagine the intent would be to enable that tutor to evaluate the situation’s safety in totality, and to keep tutors out of the business of looking for specific infractions,” says Benjamin Rahn, a tutor in Pforzheimer House. Many other tutors declined to comment or did not respond to requests for interviews for this article.

Resident Dean of Adams House Sharon L. Howell says she supports the policy and will actively work to discourage drinking games.

“That doesn’t mean that we’ll be coming down like a ton of bricks on people. Our responses will be temperate and proportional. That’s what the language says,” Howell says.

WINNING

In the first week of April, a total of five students attended three focus groups hosted by the alcohol committee directed to gain feedback on the College’s newly released alcohol policy. As a result, the policy will be presented in its current form to faculty next year. Pending faculty approval, the policy will be added to the student handbook.

In the next academic year, students, tutors, House Masters, and administrators may have to work to find a balance between standardizing the policy while also allowing authority figures to evaluate infractions on a case-by-case basis. As the policy takes effect in the next academic year, administrators and students will be forced to navigate the new rules in an effort to have fun, safely.

—Rebecca D. Robbins contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Nathalie R. Miraval can be reached at nmiraval@college.harvard.edu.