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Campus Guidelines for Serving Alcohol on Campus

  • All Macalester community members are required to follow the campus drug and alcohol policies as found in the Student Handbook and the Staff and Faculty Handbook.
  • Any event with alcohol present requires a completed Alcohol Approval Request Form submitted to the Reservations Office for approval no later than 3 weeks prior to the event. This policy includes when wine and/or beer are served at a reception or dinner.
  • Minnesota law and Macalester policy prohibit open containers on public rights-of-ways (i.e., streets, sidewalks, public areas in buildings, etc.).  Alcohol must be contained in a designated serving and consumption area. Bon Appetit or a third party vendor with appropriate licensure and insurance may serve wine and/or beer at a function in these spaces. For outdoor events, the serving area must be contained within a fenced-in or controlled area.
  • Only beer and/or wine may be served on campus without prior approval.
  • Student Activity Fee money may not be used to purchase alcohol.
  • Attendees are not allowed to bring any alcohol to an event.
  • Only official College-sponsored events designated by the Office of Student Affairs or Special Events may advertise the presence of alcohol.
  • Attendance at campus events where alcohol is being served is limited to Macalester community members or their invited guests.
  • Event organizers must provide snacks and adequate amounts of non-alcoholic beverages when alcohol is being served.
  • The college does not accept sponsorship of campus events by the alcohol beverage industry.
  • Events may require additional Public Safety officers present at the determination of the Director of Public Safety. Cost for the officers is the responsibility of the sponsoring Macalester department or recognized student organization. Officers are scheduled for a minimum of four hours at a cost of $40/hour.
    • To request an additional public safety officer for your event – please fill out the Event Security Request Form no later then 2 weeks prior to the event
  • At least one Macalester faculty or staff member is required to attend an event where alcohol is being served for the duration of the event.
  • The distribution of alcohol will cease no later than 12:30 AM.
  • A group sponsoring an event with alcohol accepts financial responsibility for any costs associated with extra clean up or repairs due to behavior of guests.
  • State law prohibits serving alcohol to those under the age of 21. If any of your invitees/attendees are expected to be under 21 years of age, servers must card anyone under 30 years of age.
  • State law prohibits serving alcohol to anyone already intoxicated.
  • It is the responsibility of the event organizers to ensure underage attendees are not served alcohol and require noncompliant guests to leave the event.
  • It is the responsibility of the event organizers to address intoxicated guests and assist in their safe departure from the event. Macalester Public Safety can be called to assist if needed, even if an officer is not specifically scheduled for the event.
  • Macalester staff/faculty/students are not permitted to check ID’s for the purpose of alcohol consumption.
  • The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) of 1989 (Public Law 101-226, 20 U.S.C. 1011i) prohibits cannabis and THC products on our campus, including use, possession, and growth, even if legally obtained under state law.