Yet another one of those topics that warrents it's own thread (people, don't be afraid to make your own!)

the quick basics: you are only allowed to drink in residence if you meet the provincial drinking age of 19.

the people who enforce the drinking law are the RLS staff: HCA, CA, HPA, and also the RM.

and yes, it is a big deal if you decide to drink underage. don't forget you are breaking provincial law when you choose to drink underage. to be caught is to recieve a $75 (i think?, possibly $70) fine and a major. three majors and you're kicked out of residence.

Don't bring beer bottles. Coolers are okay, but only if you are female because otherwise people will just make fun of you. (that was a joke... but seriously.. no coolers)

aha, my grampa just discovered what coolers are and its the funniest site to see him drinking vex and what not, and then brag about how delicious they are.

so, how about drinking undercover in your room?
and walking around with plastic cups? how do they enforce "mixed" drinks?

Click below to view the new article on rules and drinking in Res:

http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...7 4#post19874

just drink off campus at hess or in a buddies student house. i enjoy a good party as much as the next person but its not the end of the world if we can't drink in res. no ones saying you can't drink, just be prepared for consequences if you are caught.

Originally Posted by SaraM

so, how about drinking undercover in your room?
and walking around with plastic cups? how do they enforce "mixed" drinks?

As a former CA (i.e., one of the staff members that enforces these rules), I can give you a little bit of advice. Most of us are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you are, in fact, mature adults willing to act responsibly. Also, we obviously don't know what happens behind closed doors, assuming again that you're acting responsibly. The thing is, if you make yourself a problem, or a nuisance, then we have to react. Alcohol is one of those things that predisposes people to become one of those problems, so keep that in mind.

It is, frankly, really hard to cover up a party in a rez room, and walking around with plastic cups in the hallway on a Friday or Saturday night is a tad obvious. Not that anyone's going to demand to smell it, but it's a good way to ensure that you'll be watched a little more closely that evening. Also, nobody thinks they look drunk - they're usually wrong.

As with many things in life, don't stand out, and you won't be singled out. But above all, be safe. We know you're away from home, we know many of you are going to want to drink, and we know that for some of you it'll be your first time. Don't push people to go too far, and take care of each other. If you fear for someone's safety, don't hesitate to call your CA or EFRT (the on-campus Emergency First Response Team) for help. Any consequences that may result from doing that pale in comparison to what could happen as a result of alcohol poisioning. I've seen people rushed to the hospital by ambulance barely conscious after their friends waited far too long to seek help, saying they "didn't want him to get a fine for underage drinking". Some things in life are a tad more important. Just something to consider.

thanks matt. that hopefully clears things up for the new students in a way i can't do so myself.

we really never had a problem with drinking in rez last year, just keep it in the room and there will be no problems

Just remember, "You're your own liquour control board, kids." Words to live by, I say.

Keep it responsible, don't get sloppy, and know your limits.

Originally Posted by lorend

thanks matt. that hopefully clears things up for the new students in a way i can't do so myself.

Yeah, I know, everyone's ultra-paranoid about talking about anything other than the offical party line when they're still employed by Mac (I was too), but really, what I said above is just common sense. I still feel a strong sense of respect and responsibility towards Mac, many of its policies, and first-year students, so I'm not going to give bad or irresponsible advice on here. But I've seen discussions like this before that sort of morph into "well can I do this and not get caught? How about this?" type of thing, and that just gets messy in the end, so I figured I'd post what basically sums it all up. Everyone knows (or will know) the rules and the law, and they are there to protect yourselves and others. I'm also realistic, though, and clearly people are going to choose to drink anyway (just look at this thread for proof), so I'd much rather they were doing it in a responsible manner that doesn't affect themselves or those around them in a negative way.

Great post matt (cippi). I think this is one of the advantages of being on a forum/community run by students and unofficial to McMaster, having the freedom to speak common sense and give honest answers. Thanks for sharing!

Also.. I love your avatar haha. Fantastic

Here's my two cents: You can never "predict" whether or not you'll get caught while drinking in residence. This is largely because each CA (your most direct authority on residence-related issues) has their own style and their own interpretation of how to handle a given situation. Of course, they all do their best to follow the rules set out to them by the university, but not every situation is cut-and-dry. Most of the time they will be forgiving and not crack down hard on you if they can see you're being responsible. But don't abuse the leeway they give you.

ALSO: Stay away from posting pictures of you and your friends drinking in residence on social sites like Facebook. I know a few people who did this last year, and even though they were not caught at the time, their pictures were later discovered by someone in a position of authority (whether it was a CA, a residence manager, or otherwise) and the students were then punished.

Indeed. DO NOT post any pictures of you doing illegal activities because you can get in trouble doing them, regardless of when the activity occured at McMaster.

Apparently employers are all over Facebook these days, scoping out people to hire.. seeing those photos of some guy in a toga covered in whipped cream completely hammered. lol. There was a campaign about it at Mac recently to gain awareness. While it may be true with Myspace, I find it sort of false with facebook, since you'd have to invite them as a friend before they see your pics (if you have them set to private)... so technically you'd have to know the employer, or your friends are secretly leaking information

Yup.

That's why my profile is set on private. Although, I don't really think I have a need to do so.