VII.K. BSC Party Policy

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Revision as of 18:14, 20 August 2011 by xx>Boardaa (Added point 7.D. of the BSC Party Policy)
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1. General Party Guidelines

A. All BSC houses and apartment complexes must follow all federal, state, and local laws at all times.
B. There should be no rental or lending of houses to outside agencies or individuals for parties, benefits, etc.
C. It is recommended that food and non-alcoholic beverages be available at all parties.
D. This Central Level party policy does not preclude houses from maintaining their own party policies. In the case where a house party policy does exist, both the Central Level and the house level party policies must be followed; if a conflict exists between the two policies, then the more stringent policy shall be followed.

2. Definition of a Party A social gathering or event shall be defined as a party if any of the following conditions apply:

A. Any social gathering or event that is advertised as a party.
B. A house-sponsored party is any social gathering or event occurring in common areas where non-house members number more than 50% of house occupancy or 20, whichever is larger, or any individual member sponsored party with more than 35 people.
C. Individual members may sponsor parties, but they must comply with all applicable sections of this policy. All parts of the BSC Party Policy apply to parties sponsored by individual house members, and the party host will be held responsible for the conduct of all party attendees.

3. PartyAdvertising

A. Party advertisements may only be posted, distributed, or disseminated in any form inside the BSC cooperative system; party advertisements may not be posted on the exterior of BSC buildings, including on exterior doors of BSC buildings.
B. Advertising of parties via websites or the internet is prohibited. 1). Advertising on the entertainment’s (e.g., a band, a disc jockey, a performer, etc.) website is prohibited; as a condition of hiring or allowing such entertainment to perform at a house party, the house must make the entertainment aware of and agree to this prohibition. The house will be held responsible if the entertainment does advertise the party on the entertainment’s website. 2). Advertising on social networking websites (e.g., Facebook, Myspace, etc.) is prohibited if non-members of the BSC may access or view its content. 3). Advertising via mail lists or listservs (including Evite) is also prohibited if such lists or listservs include any non-members of the BSC.
C. Houses may not advertise alcohol, but advertising “BYOB” is allowed.
D. Advertisements must include: 1). Attendance criteria (see section 8.), and 2). Disability access information.

4. Alcohol and Parties

A. Houses may not advertise alcohol, but advertising “BYOB” is allowed.
B. Elected house officers and managers, including Social Managers, because they are official representative of the BSC, may not purchase alcohol on behalf of a house, apartment complex, or any collection of BSC members.
C. Alcohol may not be distributed to people under 21 years of age.
D. The house may not dispense or serve alcohol.
E. Houses may not use official house funds (i.e. individual house checking accounts, decentralized BSC funds, social budget, any fees collected by managers, etc.) to purchase alcohol.
F. House members of legal drinking age may form private buying clubs, provided that managers do not take up the collections or purchase the alcohol.
G. Any sale of alcohol is strictly prohibited. This includes charging at the door or for drinks, wristbands, stamps, or cups, at parties where alcohol is distributed.

5. Controlled Substances and Parties

A. The possession, sale, and use of any controlled substances at a BSC sponsored event are all strictly prohibited.

6. Money and Parties

A. There shall be no charging or collection of donations at any event where alcohol is dispensed. This includes charging at the door or for drinks, wristbands, stamps, or cups, at parties where alcohol is distributed.

7. Party Approval and Responsibility

A. All parties (house sponsored or individual house member sponsored) that will make use of common areas must be approved in advance by house council.
B. House council must designate at least one house level compensated manager to be present and to abstain from drinking alcohol and partaking of any controlled substances during each party. Two people are strongly recommended, especially for large parties. Responsibilities of said manager and other designated persons during the party shall include: coordinating safety and security, managing emergencies such as illness, injuries, and fire alarms, communication with neighbors, police, and fire dept., making sure the music and party end on time, and ensuring that the party is in compliance with all BSC policies.
C. Social Managers must sign a form stating that they have read and understood the party policy; the house/apartment of the particular social manager will not be allowed to have a party until this is done. Member Resources Supervisor will keep the signed forms at the Central Office.
D. Social Managers must attend the official Social Manager Training and Orientation at the start of each semester and summer session and sign a form stating that they have read and understood the party policy. Only units that complete this will be allowed to have a party during that session. The Member Resources Supervisor will keep the signed forms at the Central Office.

8. PartyAttendance

A. Individuals, houses, or apartments may not hold open attendance parties. There must be some means of regulating who gets in. This must include one or more of the following: College ID (e.g., UCB ID), ID showing 18 years of age or old, and/or on the guest list.

9. Safety and Security at Parties

A. The house is responsible for organizing sufficient house security before the party. The house will create a plan for admitting only those who meet the criteria for attendance.
B. If upon receiving the Event Notification Form the Member Resources Supervisor feels that the planned security is insufficient, then the house shall address the Member Resources Supervisor’s concerns or the party shall not occur.
C. The House Social Manager, House Manager or designated house official shall insure that the house complies with fire codes and inspections before and during the party.
D. The House Social Manager, House Manager or designated house official shall meet with a representative of the security company, or with the house members who will serve as the security team, prior to the commencement of the party to establish placement of security officers and specific duties of the same. Security charges will be covered exclusively by the house/apt.

10. Notification of Parties

A. Each house/apartment complex, or individual that is having a party (as defined in section 2.) must submit a BSC Party Notification Form to the Central Office front counter at least 10 days before the party is to take place or the party cannot be held.
B. Advertisement flyers must be attached to the Party Notification Form, and they must not be posted until approved by the Member Resources Supervisor; such approval can be delivered via telephone or email. Social managers must check in with the Member Resources Supervisor to confirm that the party has met all the criteria and can occur.

11. Neighbor Relations and Parties

A. In order to maintain good relations with their neighbors, the house/apartment complex, or individual member shall inform their neighbors of any party at least 5 days before the party.
B. Notification shall include a list of house contacts and the phone numbers of the manager(s) who will be present and in charge of the party.
C. It is recommended that a house elected official maintain a list of neighbor contacts.

12. Ending Time of Parties

A. Amplified music shall end no later than 1:00 a.m.

13. Enforcement of Party Policy

A. It shall be the duty of the Conduct Committee to interpret and apply the party policy as specified below. Accordingly, for the remainder of the party policy, “enforcement committee” shall refer to Conduct Committee.
B. In response to a violation of party policy, the enforcement committee must implement sanctions in a manner specified below. Any sanctions must be commensurate with the severity of the violation.
C. At any hearing where an alleged violation of this policy is discussed, the house/apartment complex or individual member(s) involved shall have the right to be present or send a knowledgeable representative .
D. In response to party policy violations other than those of section 4 (Alcohol and Parties), the enforcement committee may fine the unit an amount not to exceed $25 per resident.
E. In addition to any financial sanctions, the enforcement committee may take actions including, but not limited to: sending people to the house to discuss the violations, party probation periods, requiring that a unit implement recommendations from this policy, or termination of individuals’ contracts.
E. Appeals: Decisions of the relevant enforcement committee regarding Party Policy violations maybe appealed to the Board of Directors only in the following cases:
1. Sanctions involving termination of contract(s).
2. Issues of importance to the whole BSC.
3. Procedural irregularities at the original enforcement committee meeting which substantially affected the outcome of the process, i.e., the enforcement committee’s decision.
F. It shall be the duty of the Cabinet to determine whether the enforcement committee’s decision may be appealed to the Board of Directors under these criteria. If it sends an appeal to the Board, Cabinet must state the reason for granting the appeal.
G. The Member Resources Supervisor must maintain a record of all complaints and sanctions.
H. If a member of a unit petitions the enforcement committee in advance of a, the enforcement committee may grant exceptions to portions of the Party Policy for the party in question.
I. Fines collected for Party Policy violations must be deposited into the BSC Scholarship Fund.

14. Sanctions for Alcohol Violations (see Section 4)

A. Whenever the enforcement committee determines that a unit has violated the party policy’s sections on alcohol, the enforcement committee must give written notice detailing which violations have been found to have occurred within the last 12 months.
B. The unit’s Social and House / Facilities Manager(s) must meet with the enforcement committee to discuss any violations that occurred, what additional penalties would be applied if there are additional violations, and must produce a plan of action designed to help prevent future violations.
C. In response to any alcohol violation, the enforcement committee must apply fines proportional to unit occupancy. For repeat violations, the enforcement committee must impose party probation periods.
1. If there have been no alcohol violations in the previous 12 months, the enforcement committee may in response to a new violation fine the unit up to $10 per member.
2. If there has been exactly one alcohol violation in the previous 12 months, the enforcement committee may in response to a new violationfine the unit up to $25 per house member, and must impose a one-month party probation period in which the house may not hold any parties as defined above. A member of the enforcement committee may inspect the first party following the completion of the probation period.
3. If there has been two or more alcohol violations in the previous 12 months, the enforcement committee may in response to new violations apply party probation periods of appropriate length and fines not to exceed $25 per member, as well as other actions it deems appropriate to the circumstances.

The Party Policy was last amended by the Board of Directors on March 15th and April 12th 2007

The Party Policy updated, board approved: 8/4/2011