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Dooley cites tough policies, on-campus bar as options
By Mark N. Schieldrop/Independent Staff Writer
NARRAGANSETT — University of Rhode Island President David Dooley told the Town Council on Monday that he is open to toughening the school’s disciplinary policy regarding the off-campus behavior of students.
Additionally, Dooley said that the university is in the midst of reviewing its alcohol policies and the possibility of an on-campus bar for over-21 students has not been ruled out.
Dooley’s comments were made during a work session between the Town Council and URI officials that was scheduled after residents complained loudly about rowdy behavior and underage drinking in some neighborhoods, especially in Eastward Look, where residents say this year has been noticeably worse than previous years.
Dooley, who has been meeting with town and city officials across the state since starting his new job as president this fall, said that predicting the behavior of 18- to 22-year-olds is a “proposition that is inherently uncertain,” but he pledged to work closely with the town and the Narragansett/URI Coalition to address ongoing problems associated with loud off-campus parties and rowdy student behavior.
Dooley said that the school took an important step two years ago when it extended its disciplinary jurisdiction beyond the Kingston Campus. Despite being unpopular with students, Dooley said, the move has been effective. A total of 150 students faced disciplinary action from URI after incidents in Narragansett last year. Of that total, very few have been repeat offenders. Still, he said, he is open to seeing where the policies could be strengthened.
“Our conduct codes are similar to many other universities across the country,” Dooley said. “We believe our conduct codes are sound but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve them.”
A repeated complaint by residents in recent years has been that when Dooley’s predecessor, Robert L. Carothers, declared URI a “dry campus” in the 1990s, the school effectively pushed the problem of underage drinking and loud parties into Narragansett.
Council President David Crook urged Dooley to consider opening a bar or tavern on campus for legal adults to drink.
“When Carothers banned drinking, from that day forward, all hell came to Narragansett,” Crook said.
Dooley noted that URI already has made changes to its alcohol policies, such as allowing alcohol consumption to take place in designated areas during recent homecoming festivities. URI is also considering selling alcohol at sporting events.
Whether a bar on campus would address behavioral issues, Dooley is not sure. But he said that the ongoing review of alcohol policies is far from complete and an on-campus bar is a possibility.
“We’ll continue to review how things are working for us and eventually to the point of asking ourselves what more we could do in regards to controlled access to alcohol,” Dooley said. “You’re not the first group to suggest that we should have a look at opening some kind of opportunities on the campus for legal, monitored, social consumption of alcoholic beverages.”
Tom Dugan, URI’s vice president of student affairs, said that the assumption that URI is a dry campus is unfair, since students 21 or older are allowed to have a small amount of alcohol in their dorms for personal consumption.
Another way the university might ease some of the burden on the town is with the continued expansion of on-campus housing. Dooley said that another dorm with 450 beds is slated to open in 2012.
Carol Stuart, an Eastward Look resident, said she was pleased with Dooley’s comments. She hopes that with a new president, URI can revive its efforts to collaborate with the Narragansett/URI Coalition and neighborhood groups to tackle the problem head on. In recent years, she said, it seems a sense of fatigue has set in.
“I’d like to see the Coalition step up to the plate and work seriously on some of these issues they used to and when [Dugan] would be involved in sending letters out to the legislature on issues of concern to all of us. I’d like to see some of that enthusiasm and activism back again.”
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