Alcohol delivery on campus prohibited

Alcohol delivery on campus prohibited

By Wilson Criscione, News Writer

Students 21 years of age or older living on campus are unable to capitalize on the Cheney liquor store’s decision to deliver alcohol directly to people’s doorsteps.

The Washington Administrative Code states that alcoholic beverages may not be sold in any student housing. The delivery of alcohol to a residence, under law, counts as the final part of the sale and is therefore prohibited on campus, according to chief housing officer Josh Ashcroft.

The liquor store has been delivering since July 2013, said owner Tillman Carr. They have seen an increase in sales since they began delivering, and Carr said he would be “more than happy to deliver on campus” if the law allowed.

When Carr consulted with Tim Walters, Eastern’s police chief, he found out the delivery of alcohol on campus was illegal.

Even though EWU’s conduct code does not specifically address alcohol delivery, Mike Bowers of student’s rights and responsibilities said that the university adheres to the administrative code for the law.

The Washington Administrative Code does allow the consumption of alcohol in residence halls on an individual basis, provided each person is of age.

Carr said he still delivers to students who live off campus, as long as the place he is delivering to is not associated with the university.

When delivering alcohol, Carr said that they make sure the person buying the alcohol is not already intoxicated, and he said he has refused to deliver to people for this reason. The store also brings an age verification machine when making deliveries to ensure the person is at least 21 years old. The person delivering just has to stick the customer’s driver’s license in the electronic device to make sure the license is valid.

Barbara Ratcliff, associate director of business operations in housing and residential life, said reaching out to the police was “probably a wise decision” for the liquor store. Many people who worked in Ratcliff’s department, including herself, were initially unaware of the rule against delivering alcohol on campus when they were asked.

Even though alcohol delivery is prohibited, the university has no problem with the delivery of other products such as pizza, sandwiches or flowers to residence halls.

“Alcohol delivery is a new concept for some of us here,” said Bowers. “It’s kind of new territory.”