As the spring election season approaches, American University’s Student Government Undergraduate Senate will present students with the chance to vote on establishing 21-plus spaces on the University’s campus.
AUSG voted to pass Resolution 21-007 and approved a referendum on Saturday, Jan. 31, to put the issue on student ballots for the upcoming election.
The referendum itself will place four questions on the student ballot, asking whether the University should expand the Perch model, a game-side concession spot in Bender Arena selling beer, seltzers and wine for community members over the age of 21. Chartwells, the University’s dining service provider, sought approval for a license for “limited beer and wine service at the Bender Arena concession stand” in Fall 2024.
While the resolution alone displays the Senate’s support for the proposal, the referendum invites student input. According to AUSG’s polling statistics, 5 percent of the senior class voted in the last SG election and 13 percent of the University altogether. AUSG hopes to increase levels of voter turnout with this referendum.
Senator Noam Emerson-Fleming, a senior in the School of International Service, proposed and sponsored the piece of legislation to advocate for responsible 21-plus student programming on campus.
“Statistically, upper-level students are disengaged,” Emerson-Fleming said. “And structurally, there are issues with upper-level students staying on campus, or wanting to go to things that are a part of campus culture.”
Senator Benjamin Winokur-Applebaum, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, co-sponsored both the resolution and referendum, emphasizing the measure’s significance as a tool for reengaging upperclassmen in campus life.
“It’s really important to us that we are engaging these upper-level students, whether it be in an election or bringing them on campus — getting them back in our buildings,” Winokur-Applebaum said.
Some AUSG senators said they were concerned with the potential risk of students using fake IDs or safety concerns about alcohol on campus. However, others countered that the measure emphasizes harm reduction rather than unsafe drinking behavior.
“Right now, students are forced to Uber, they’re forced to take public transit. They are forced to stay out late in places that are less regulated than something on campus would be,” Emerson-Flemming said. “Those safety concerns are actually mitigated by something that would be on campus, not exacerbated.”
While the model would be a change for the University, the same cannot be said for others like Georgetown University and Northwestern University. In addition to the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the University’s Perch model, the sponsors of the resolution took inspiration from a multitude of other universities’ approaches when it comes to 21-plus engagement on their respective campuses.
“When looking around at other campuses that are commensurate in many ways to ours, seeing how much having a 21-plus space on campus, whether that’s a local pub, game side concession booth, or even a faculty student lounge — we see the benefit that has for both faculty and students,” Winokur-Applebaum said.
The resolution also poses the broader question of how the University can better include its upper-level students in programming and campus culture, with AUSG’s solution being to provide additional spaces for them on campus.
“We want to make sure that we are treating every student’s time and investment equitably,” Winokur-Applebaum said.
This article was edited by Natalie Hausmann, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman and Ryan Sieve. Fact-checking done by Andrew Kummeth.
