ISU students and Ames community members filled nearly every seat in the Memorial Union Gallery on Wednesday night to discuss the proposed keg registration ordinance.

Approximately 100 people expressed concerns on a variety of issues, many related to whether the keg ordinance will actually reduce the consumption of alcohol by minors.

“At the last keg forum in the spring, I announced that I am a person who throws keg parties and honestly, if I want to throw another party I would go ahead and get a couple bottles of Everclear and have a jungle-juice party,” said Shyam Goswami, senior in civil engineering.

“And whether or not that is actually true, this is how college students are thinking: ‘I am a college student that throws keg parties and this is how I think.'”

Goswami said the keg ordinance will simply encourage underage individuals to look for ways to get alcohol in other forms, many of which may be stronger than beer.

He pointed out that Everclear, which is most commonly available at 95 percent alcohol, is cheaper than keg beer, which is usually about 3.2 percent alcohol. Everclear is not affected by the keg registration ordinance.

“The idea behind this is that if it saves one life, it’s worth it, and I agree,” Goswami said. “But what if this takes one life?”

Goswami said he was concerned that people who would have thrown keg parties would throw jungle-juice parties instead because of the keg ordinance. The higher – and often variable – alcohol content of jungle juice could increase dangers such as alcohol poisoning, he said.

“I would like to ask the people who are really behind this to think critically about it because once you really get into something and really get behind it, you throw out the criticism, so I encourage you to really think about what people are saying,” he said.

Story County Attorney Steve Holmes said he would discuss the students’ concerns with the Story County Board of Supervisors.

“I appreciate what everyone said and I will try to remember all of it,” Holmes said.

Many other students shared Goswami’s concerns but understood it will take time and effort to reduce consumption of alcohol by minors.

Tony Borich, ex-officio member of Ames City Council, called for more research on the effects of the keg ordinance, and said he would like to see a sunset clause on the ordinance, meaning it would automatically cease to be law after a given period of time unless it is renewed.

“This is one part,” said Katie Anderson, community youth development specialist and senior in elementary education. “We’re not expecting it to solve all of our problems, including underage drinking, because they will find other ways, but this is supposed to be one specific part of a much grander scheme.”