Starting next year, students living in Iowa State residence halls may be a little less confused about the alcohol policy.

Director of Residence Randy Alexander said more information is being added to the Terms and Agreements of the Residence Hall Contract to limit misinterpretation by both residents and hall directors.

“What we’ve run into in the past is that people have interpreted it differently,” he said. “This will more clearly state the current policy.”

He said the changes do not alter the intent of the current policy. The “only real change,” he said, is that empty alcohol containers will no longer be allowed in rooms where both residents are underage.

Alexander said every room is considered “wet,” “dry” or “damp.”

A wet room is where both of the residents are 21 or older, and residents of a dry room both are under 21.

Confusion of the alcohol policy mainly has surrounded the damp room, which houses one resident who is under 21 and one who is of legal drinking age, Alexander said.

“The policy is trying to indicate that if there are no residents of legal age, you can’t have alcohol,” he said.

In a wet room, both residents can drink and any guest who is 21 or older also can drink, Alexander said. Alcohol is prohibited in a dry room, even to guests who are of legal drinking age.

In a damp room, the resident who is 21 and any guests of that person who are of legal drinking age are permitted to drink.

“Any resident who is 21, regardless of the status of the roommate, can drink in their room,” Alexander said. “I don’t see any scenario where we would tell a person who is 21 that they can’t drink in their room.”

Larch Hall Director Brad Knapp said the change will benefit resident assistants and residents.

“From my perspective, it’s a real gray area when you deal with alcohol and underage people,” he said. “That is trying to be more defined.”

He said the current state of the alcohol policy can be confusing for RAs.

Heather Burns, RA of Anderson House in Willow Hall, said the policy will make things less complicated.

“It will be easier on enforcement,” said Burns, junior in construction engineering.

As with the current policy, punishment of residents will be “treated on an individual basis,” Knapp said.

“Having a keg vs. one empty [can or bottle] is not going to be treated the same,” he said.

Knapp said other things such as the resident’s attitude and how many people are involved also will be taken into consideration when applying sanctions.

“If you boil it down: If you are under 21, you can’t drink, and if you’re over 21, you can,” Alexander said.