Veishea may not be the only thing going dry this year.

At the Alcohol Awareness Forum held Wednesday night in Wallace-Wilson Commons, students discussed making residence halls and campus dry year-round.

Hall directors from each residence association were present and part of a forum panel.

The panel fielded questions from students about current alcohol policies.

Thomas Hill, vice president of student affairs, was also available to answer questions.

“The purpose of this is to dispel any rumors and answer any questions residents may have on the policies with alcohol in the residence halls,” said Jon Wheeler, hall director of Wallace Hall.

After one student suggested making the residence halls alcohol-free, Wheeler said it would only be possible with student involvement.

“If you want us to consider that, then help us,” Wheeler said.

Getting medical assistance for students who have been drinking illegally was also addressed at the forum.

Many students addressed concern for getting in trouble if they called 911 for a friend and they had also been drinking illegally.

“The terms and conditions for the alcohol policy is described in the pamphlet handed to you by your resident assistant at the beginning of the year,” Wheeler said. “Everything must be documented, and depending on the outcome is where it goes from there.”

Wheeler said the rules are not new, but due to the recent incidents they have been refocused.

Hill stressed that no two situations are alike.

“On the surface, the situations may look the same, but after investigation, they may be very different,” he said.

But he said students run the risk of getting in trouble when they drink underage.

“I’ve been caught,” Hill said. “It was wrong then, it’s wrong now.”

One suggestion made to decrease alcohol poisoning was to publish the number of students admitted to Mary Greeley Medical Center for alcohol poisoning each week.

“If it helps one person, we can try,” Hill said.

Another concern raised was if one resident in a room was a 21-year-old and the other was underage.

If an RA came in and documented everyone, it could be difficult for the underage person to prove he was not drinking.

Wheeler said he has told his staff they are not to hear the situation, they are just to document it.

“The underage person can tell their story to the Board of Review. Sometimes they get away with it, sometimes they don’t,” he said.

A group of students suggested teaching people to drink responsibly as an option, but the idea was dissolved.

“It hasn’t worked to teach to drink responsibly,” Associate Director for Residence Life Ginny Arthur said.

Hill said there are funds available for anyone interested in a program on alcohol education in the residence halls.

“Education on rules and policies may be the first step,” Hill said.