Changes to St. Edward’s University’s alcohol policy now require alcohol to be purchased through and served by the university’s contracted catering company Bon Appétit at certain on-campus events.

The issue is one of liability, said Director of Auxiliary Services Mike Stone.

“Texas law requires that all liquor served in a licensed location be purchased through and served by the entity holding the license,” Stone said.

The Ragsdale Center is a licensed location because Bon Appétit obtained a liquor license for service in the Ragsdale Center when they first arrived on campus, according to Stone.

However, the Ragsdale Center is the only licensed location on campus.

“It is simpler and safer to have a single entity procure the permit, provide the alcohol and serve it,” Stone said.

To further comply with The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission standards, Bon Appétit requires bartenders to be TABC-certified. This ensures that the company and the server are familiar with current laws pertaining to alcohol and server responsibility.

In addition, Bon Appétit has liquor liability insurance, meaning the catering company and the university are protected if there is an accident after alcohol is consumed at a campus event.

To prevent underage drinking at events, servers will card a guest if they suspect the guest is under 21.

“We understand we are helping the university protect their liability,” Director of Catering for Bon Appétit Kate Lynch said.

Lynch claims Bon Appétit’s alcohol prices do not reflect standard prices for catering companies. According to Lynch, a typical upcharge can be as much as three to four times the wholesale price.

“It is not a profit center for us, so we don’t do the standard industry upcharge…we don’t sell enough to justify it as a big profit center,” Lynch said.

The house wine available from Bon Appètit is an Oak Creek Merlot or Chardonnay and costs $12.50 a bottle. Oak Creek Chardonnay costs $3.92 at Internetwines.com, a third of the price Bon Appètit charges.

 Staff from Auxiliary Services, Risk Management, and the Ragsdale Conference Center developed a new alcohol policy entitled “The Procedure for Alcohol Service at St. Edward’s University” to reduce liability risks associated with serving alcohol.

“The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has stepped up its enforcement efforts, particularly with regard to underage drinking…In the face of these potential risk management issues, we decided we needed to improve our procedures to ensure no problems occurred that could reasonably be prevented,” Stone said.

The policy classifies events on campus as either “Type I Events” or “Type II Events.” The policy states that an event is considered to be Type I if there is a charge for admission or participation, if persons under 21 are attending, if the event is held in the Ragsdale Center, the Maloney Room, the Lane Dining Room or Bishop McCarthy Room, or if the event is hosted by a group that is not affiliated with St. Edward’s.  

As noted in the policy, proper protocol for Type I Events requires “all alcohol to be purchased from and served by Bon i”

The policy requires that Bon Apetit purchase and serve alcohol at Type I Events.

Type II Events are considered lower risk events, and the policy allows alcohol to be purchased or donated from outside sources. An event is considered Type II if there is no charge to attend, if it is not held in the aforementioned locations, and if there is “no reasonable expectation of attendance” from persons under 21.

While alcohol is not a fixture at many campus events such as Waffle-o-polis or Midnight Breakfast, the Photocommunications senior show has had wine available for attendees in past years.

“Serving wine is a cultural way of signifying a celebration, which is what the senior show is about to a certain extent. Showing work in a gallery puts you in a very vulnerable position, and for some strange reason having a cup of wine, even as a ‘prop,’ just helps,” senior Photocommunications major Ashley Watson said.

Because of high prices and a small budget, those planning “Lucida,” the Photocommunications senior show, have decided not to serve alcohol.

“What’s frustrating is the fact that we could still have alcohol, however, we’d be forced to pay a ridiculous $15 per bottle of wine to the already monopolistic Bon Appètit,” Watson said. “The power to utilize our small budget as efficiently as possible to create a great art show has been usurped—we’d be crazy to waste our money on Bon Appètit.”