{"id":352,"date":"2024-09-04T19:45:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T19:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint-2024\/?page_id=352"},"modified":"2024-09-10T13:45:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T13:45:58","slug":"alcohol","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/alcohol\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcohol"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maryland law states that:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It is unlawful for any minor (a person under age 21) to possess or consume alcoholic beverages;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. It is unlawful for any minor to misrepresent or lie about his\/her age in order to obtain alcoholic beverages;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. It is\u00a0unlawful for any person to obtain alcoholic beverages on behalf of a minor;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. It is unlawful for any person to consume\u00a0alcoholic beverages in an open outside area unless authorized to do so by proper officials;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. A person may not be\u00a0intoxicated and endanger the safety of another person or property or be intoxicated and cause a public disturbance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It is the responsibility of all faculty, staff, and students at St. Mary\u2019s College to uphold the conditions of this state law. The\u00a0unlawful use, possession, or distribution of alcohol on College property or as any part of College activities is prohibited and\u00a0will result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion. Please refer to the College\u2019s medical amnesty and good\u00a0Samaritan policy where certain violations may be granted amnesty. The College also promotes an active, healthy, social life\u00a0on campus and accommodates groups that request College facilities for events where alcohol is appropriate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Office of Public Safety and the VPSA or their designee\u2019 staff is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the following campus\u00a0alcohol policy:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. No individual (absent an authorized exception under section VI herein), regardless of age, may consume, or be in possession of open <\/span>alcoholic beverages in public areas on the campus, such as the lounges, hallways of the residence halls, patios of townhouses, athletic fields, and other facilities and grounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. No individual, regardless of age, may be intoxicated and cause a disturbance and\/or endanger the safety of\u00a0him\/herself, another person, and\/or property.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. The sponsors of student events (dances, concerts, etc.) are responsible for keeping the event alcohol-free.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Individuals or groups sponsoring formal or informal events off-campus are responsible for upholding the\u00a0Maryland alcohol law.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Resident students of legal drinking age may possess and consume alcoholic beverages in the privacy of their\u00a0rooms or townhouses. All alcohol must be kept within the possession of a student of legal drinking age (\u201cof-age\u201d). Students\u00a0who are 21 years of age or older may not offer or provide alcohol to those who are underage, including roommates, or consume\/possess alcohol as a guest in the room of a student who is underage. It is\u00a0assumed that alcohol possessed by of-age students is for their personal use and for limited distribution to others who are of\u00a0age to consume alcohol. Students who are of age and who choose to drink alcohol are strongly encouraged to drink\u00a0responsibly and in moderation. Kegs and other similar multi-liter containers are prohibited.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    6. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed at any event on campus unless:\u00a0<\/span>\n
        \n
      1. The event is sponsored by the\u00a0College for seniors, alumni, faculty-staff receptions, or any outside group; and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. The event is held in a controlled space, such as the Alumni Lodge. Requests to sponsor such events must be made through the Events Office and must be approved by the VPSA or their designee. College budget accounts (including SGA funds) are by definition State dollars and may not be used to purchase alcohol or provide adult beverage service in any circumstance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
      3. Acting as a social host: A social host is any individual who provides a location for and\/or facilitates\u00a0opportunities for others to violate the College Alcohol Policy or other gathering-related policies. More specifically, a social\u00a0host is an individual who provides or shares alcohol with an underage guest in his\/her residence or who hosts one or more\u00a0guests in his\/her residence who violate the College Alcohol Policy or other gathering-related policies (e.g., quiet hours, fire\u00a0code, damage, failure to comply). Additional consequences are in place for those who make the choice to host events in their\u00a0residence where a violation of College policy takes place. Hosts who provide a location for others to engage in policy\u00a0violations assume a greater level of responsibility for these incidents. If a student is found responsible for acting as a social\u00a0host as described above, the minimum fine for the violation begins at $100 for a first offense and increases up to $250 for\u00a0subsequent violations (see Minimum Expected Sanctions for more information). Fines will be assessed per social host and\u00a0will not be divided among the room\/apartment\/townhouse residents.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Legal sanctions under state law: It is illegal in the state of Maryland for any person under 21 to falsify or misrepresent their age to obtain alcohol, or to possess alcoholic beverages with the intent to consume them. It is also illegal in most\u00a0situations to furnish alcohol to a person under 21, or to obtain alcohol on behalf of a person under 21. The penalty is a fine of\u00a0up to $500 for a first offense, and up to $1000 for repeat offenses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        Students who are concerned about their use of alcohol or other drugs may speak with a counselor in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for\u00a0an assessment. CAPS are confidential and the staff therapist will recommend options for risk reduction, treatment and recovery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        Excessive alcohol use can increase the likelihood of both short-term and long-term health risks. Binge drinking increases the\u00a0risk of injury, violence, alcohol poisoning, and risky sexual behavior. Long-term excessive alcohol use can lead to chronic\u00a0health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Students can find\u00a0more information about the health risks of alcohol use at <\/span>http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/alcohol\/fact-sheets\/alcohol-use.htm<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Maryland law states that:\u00a0 It is unlawful for any minor (a person under age 21) to possess or consume alcoholic beverages;\u00a0 It is unlawful for any minor to misrepresent or lie about his\/her age in order to obtain alcoholic beverages;\u00a0 It is\u00a0unlawful for any person to obtain alcoholic beverages on behalf of a minor;\u00a0 It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-352","page","type-page","status-publish","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/258"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":353,"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352\/revisions\/353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/tothepoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}