Despite new policies, some students don’t believe they’ll make much difference.
By: Lea Kahn
Despite new policies aimed at curbing alcohol abuse on the Rider University campus, some students believe the new regulations which include a ban on alcohol-related events in dorms and Greek houses will have a marginal effect on the issue.
The regulations are contained in the report of the Presidential Task Force on Alcohol, Personal Responsibility and Student Life, which was released Monday afternoon. The task force grew out of the alcohol poisoning death of freshman Gary DeVercelly Jr., in March.
Mr. DeVercelly, 18, died after a night of binge drinking at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house. He was in the process of joining the fraternity, which has an on-campus house.
The task force, formed in April, delivered its report to Rider University President Mordechai Rozanski June 18. Some of the new policies take effect immediately and others will be phased in during the 2007-08 school year.
Rider University senior Paul Szaniawski, 21, said the recommendations were to be expected, but he believes they will have little effect on the issue. He is a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
"Gary’s death was a wake-up call to the Greek community to be wary of over-drinking more than (the recommendations) will ever be," Mr. Szaniawski said.
The task force had considered a ban on alcohol consumption at Rider University and Westminster Choir College, which is located in Princeton, but decided against that course of action because it would be difficult to enforce and would likely lead to an increase in off-campus drinking, according to the report.
Instead, the 27-member task force recommended an approach that combines prevention-based education programs that focus on substance abuse awareness with the promotion of more responsible drinking by reinforcing state law and community values.
Still, 20-year-old Leanne Byelich, a junior from Yardley, Pa., said a ban on alcohol is exactly what has to be done. "The only way there can be real change is if Rider was a dry campus."
Ms. Byelich, a regular Phi Kappa Tau partygoer, described what she has routinely seen at various events. During "Hump Night," on Wednesdays, "everyone just stands around drinking and playing games, in hallways and in rooms."
Alcohol is "always there," Ms. Byelich said, "in tubs and everywhere for people to get it."
In a prepared statement issued Monday, Dr. Rozanski said he had reviewed the report with senior members of his administration and the Board of Trustees, all of whom "fully support" the task force’s recommendations.
"There is no way to fully mitigate the great pain of this tragedy and its terrible impact on the DeVercelly family and on our campus community," Dr. Rozanski said. "What we must do now, however, is to learn from it and do all we can to try to ensure that nothing like it happens again at Rider University."
"Vital to the discussion is the continuing education of our students, faculty and staff on both campuses about the dangers of alcohol misuse and abuse," Dr. Rozanski said. "This is my commitment to Gary and his family and the more than 5,000 other families whose sons and daughters attend Rider."
The task force calls for establishing a University-wide social events policy that prohibits alcohol-related events in residence halls or Greek houses. All Greek houses will have a resident director, who will oversee the education and enforcement of alcohol and other school policies within the Greek houses.
The university also plans to hire a substance abuse prevention and education coordinator, who will develop and implement prevention-based education and outreach on both campuses. An advisory committee made up of faculty and staff will assist the coordinator.
Also, the task force calls for establishing a program that helps freshmen make the transition from high school to college through a variety of prevention-focused education and outreach efforts, beginning with the summer orientation program and continuing throughout the freshman year and beyond.
A "good Samaritan" policy will be established so students can seek help for "medically compromised students who are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs." They can report such incidents without fear of campus repercussions, the task force report indicated.
Additional campus security officers will be hired to ensure "consistent and rigorous enforcement" of the school’s alcohol policy and to strengthen Rider’s community policing program, which brings security officers into contact with students.
Mr. Szaniawski, the Rider University senior, said students will continue to drink, but education is key to stop them from abusing alcohol. Parties happen everywhere, he said, not just in the Greek houses.
Junior Jill Frost, 21, said the recommendations were "probably the most appropriate action" that Rider could take following Mr. DeVercelly’s death. The East Windsor Township resident said she wished there would not have been a need for them.
"Obviously, the tragedy is there and nothing can change what happened (to Mr. DeVercelly)," Ms. Frost said. "I think the whole event will change the way people think about alcohol."
Despite the regulations, Ms. Byelich said students will still find places to get alcohol.
"I’ll just go to other frats to drink, since Phi Tau won’t be having parties," she said.
Staff Writer Olivia Tattory contributed to this story.

