In the wake of the Tufts Alcohol Task Force's recent decision to make Spring Fling dry this year — not allowing attendees of any age to bring in alcohol — many students have voiced frustration, skepticism or alternative suggestions. Yes, people are disappointed that they can't get absurdly drunk during the concert. Yes, people are upset that they can't even sip a beer or two at the show. And no, the current policy is not flawless. But we must remember that Spring Fling is still a school event, and safety must come first. Binge drinking is dangerous, as evidenced by last year's "mass casualty incident," and the administration cannot be expected to sit back and simply hope that such an occurrence doesn't repeat itself. Despite its potential problems, the new policy is defensible. One of the popular suggestions on campus, voiced recently in graduate student Karen Gerlach's Tufts Daily op−ed from March 29, is to permit students to leave and then reenter the concert. However, reentry is not possible due to logistics, safety concerns and cost. It would not complement the existing policy, nor would it work toward a long−term goal of reduced alcohol consumption at Spring Fling.
At this year's Spring Fling, there will be greater quantities of water and pizza than last year, so students should not feel the need to leave the concert simply to eat or rehydrate; allowing reentry would almost encourage many students to step out to drink alcohol. Some concert venues, clubs and museums do indeed offer reentry to visitors with a hand stamp or ticket stub. However, these venues are not dealing with crowds on the same scale as Spring Fling, nor do they likely have as high of a need to manage people who left the event with the sole purpose of consuming alcohol.
Admission into Spring Fling is always difficult to manage logistically. It takes time for each person to show a ticket or ID, pass a basic security check and enter, and nobody wants a situation that creates long lines outside the entrance. If students are allowed to come and go throughout the day, the length of these lines will increase dramatically. Think about it: Even if you had a hand stamp for reentry, you would need to show your stamp to someone and demonstrate that you were not bringing alcohol back in with you. Each reentry would take as long as a normal entry, and students would end up waiting much longer before they could enter. Longer wait times are not just unpleasant — they can cause crowd control issues as people become rowdy and want to push through or skip ahead of others.
A single entrance would potentially be insufficient to handle the increased traffic, meaning that a second entry point could have to be created and staffed; even if only one entry were used, the amount of staff and security required would rise sharply. All of these changes would increase the cost of running the event — though fencing and security officers may be less expensive than a 21−plus bar area, they are not cheap.
Furthermore, reentry means that the goal of the new alcohol policy — reducing drinking in order to increase safety of students at Spring Fling — would be largely forgotten. The possibility of people drinking heavily, then entering (or intending to enter) and becoming ill would not necessarily be decreased by permitting students to come and go freely throughout the day.
I agree that the new alcohol policy is not absolutely perfect, but I have yet to hear a solution that would be. The current policy aims to create a long−term solution by reducing the drinking culture surrounding Spring Fling. While some seniors and juniors may be disappointed this year upon losing what seems to be thought of as the "right" to bring in alcohol, after a few years, there won't be any students still on campus who personally remember a time when alcohol was allowed. This means that before long, people will not miss the old policy, nor will they look forward to the year when they can finally bring their own alcohol. Hopefully this will create an environment in which students no longer feel such a strong desire to be intoxicated at Spring Fling. And to all those who may be skeptical, let me assure you that it is entirely possible to have a great time at a concert while sober.
As far as this year is concerned, I hope that students of all ages can respond to the new alcohol policy by behaving responsibly and safely and by not letting the issue of drinking overshadow what Spring Fling is really about: allowing the entire Tufts community to enjoy a great free concert on the President's Lawn.
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Nicole Goodwin is a sophomore majoring in International Relations. She is the co- chair of Concert Board.
