The MU Police Department responded to 310 arrests for liquor violations this past calendar year.

Emergency medical services responded to 167 calls for alcohol overdoses within a 3-month span from August to November this year — an average of about 12 people each week.

Phoenix Programs Inc., a substance abuse treatment center, is aiming to cut down on that number. The organization promoted a “dry weekend” this past week in an effort to lower the amount of irresponsible alcohol use.

“Those who experienced difficulty during a self-imposed 72-hour ‘dry’ spell were encouraged to contact a medical professional or counselor for further screening,” said Heather Harlan, a prevention specialist at the local Phoenix Programs branch.

Most of these arrests consisted of minors in possession and minors in possession by intoxication typically during late evening shifts and weekends, MUPD Capt. Scott Richardson said.

“Minors in possession have been coming from multiple places on campus,” said Bogdan Susan, a mid–Missouri attorney who has dealt with alcohol-related offenses on campus. “However, many of them come from the compliance checks by police units in downtown bars, Greek events and football season tailgates.”

Beyond this past “dry weekend,” students and administrators are working to cut down on alcohol abuse throughout the year.

“We can all work at taking more of an advantage of the resources we are offered by Mizzou in order to help us avoid getting in trouble—like STRIPES,” freshman Alysse Chowning said.

A topic buzzing across campus is what changes moving to the Southeastern Conference will bring this upcoming fall.

One major change will be that anyone who leaves the stadium throughout the duration of the game will not be permitted to re-enter. The motivating factor behind this policy is the implementation of the “no pass out” rule. This rule is intended to keep violence and general mischievous activity to a minimum by not allowing fans to leave and drink alcohol during halftime.

“The issue is that people are hoping that by joining the SEC there will be more attendants in stands, so MUPD is anticipating bigger crowds which naturally bring potential for more alcohol problems. Which is why the ‘no pass out’ will likely be so strictly enforced,” Susan said.

The new rule regarding no re-entrance does not seem to be as big of an issue with minors as it is with students who are of age. Many have complained that there is no reason drinking privileges should be taken away from those who are permitted to consume alcohol.

Although this rule might lower the likeliness of the consumption of alcohol within stadium walls, it also increases the likelihood of heavier drinking prior to games.

“There is no way of completely getting rid of alcohol consumption before or during football games because students will always be able to find loopholes,” sophomore Ryan Batliner said. “I think that what is most important is just making sure that students are consuming alcohol responsibly and are encouraged by law enforcers as well as their peers to make smarter decisions.”

Susan said the most important message is to promote responsible social drinking.

“Law enforcers need to encourage students to get home safely and not overdrink,” Susan said.