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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels September 4, 2004 Young alcohol ban at SOU games has rich tradition By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings When the Southern Oregon University football team opens its season Saturday afternoon at Raider Stadium, everything will be set for another fall of small-college football in Ashland. The field has been reseeded, the team has been training together for weeks and fans should fill the stadium decked out in red and black, ready for some football. The one element that will not be a part of the Southern-Si Tanka University-Huron match-up is alcohol. "It's been a policy," Southern Oregon University Athletic Director Phil Pifer said. "We don't serve alcohol, not even at tailgate parties." According to Section 1 of Southern Oregon's alcohol and drug policy, any person who engages in "possession, consumption, or furnishing of alcoholic beverages on University-owned or controlled property or at University-sponsored or supervised functions, unless authorized by the president" will be subject to school sanctions. What that translates into is a long history of sobriety at football games. Alcoholic beverages have never been sold at games, nor are fans allowed to bring their own drinks inside. "I think it's the mission the university wants to pass on to students," Pifer said. "I think that's the crux." However, the athletic department at SOU could benefit from the sale of alcohol at games. "It's unfortunate in the fact that it (furnishing alcohol at athletic events) would obviously enhance pregame functions and boost revenue," Pifer said. "That has been a conversation, but it's the preference of the university leadership that alcohol not be served." Last year, the 1983 football team reunion had to be relocated to Omar's when university regulations denied former players and alumni access to a school-owned parking lot for their tailgate party. The group had to choose between campus property and sharing a couple of drinks before the game - they elected to meet at Omar's instead of fight school policy. Other campus functions that include alcoholic beverages, such as the Jefferson Public Radio annual wine tasting and the President's Ball, now take place off-campus where university regulations are more lax. An interesting twist Although the athletic department has pushed the question of alcohol use at sporting events, the issue goes beyond campus policies. As a member of the NAIA, a national athletic association, Southern Oregon cannot distribute alcoholic beverages at athletic events. Article 1, Section O of the NAIA by-laws includes a provision stating "alcoholic beverages in any form shall not be allowed to be sold, disbursed or brought into the public area of any event." The regulation effectively stifles any attempt to ever furnish alcohol to fans at football games, or any other SOU athletic function. The university would have to appeal to the national governing body for permission, but most of the 360 colleges and universities affiliated with the NAIA just choose to keep their events dry. "If it were something we were allowed to do, I would probably try to find a way to do it safely and monitor it," Pifer said. University administrators was not available for comment. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams