PSU ponders mixing alcohol and athletics

It all started with Garth Brooks.

In February 2015, the Bryce Jordan Center confirmed that the university was seeking a “public venue license” for the arena for alcohol sales. An April concert, they said, would be a pilot project to weigh a change in the way alcohol was addressed at the venue.

That concert was Brooks’ comeback tour, his first appearance at Penn State in almost two decades, and with songs like “Two Pina Coladas” and “Longneck Bottle” in his repertoire, well, alcohol seemed to go along with it like beer with a whisky chaser.

But serving alcohol at school functions, like Nittany Lions or Lady Lions basketball games? Not on the table, they said, much like the way beer is sold at State College Spikes games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, but not at Penn State baseball games.

But another foray into mixing alcohol into the campus landscape came Thursday at a board of trustees committee on legal and compliance meeting, when information was presented about seeking permission for Intercollegiate Athletics to sell alcohol in some situations.

According to the university, the proposal would make alcohol available in a “limited capacity at specific events on campus.”

Those would be ICA events, and not for sale to the general public. Instead, it would be limited to “private, controllable spaces, such as suites and club seats, as well as reception areas.”

Also on the menu was permission for alcohol to be sold at athletic facilities, including the Penn State Golf Courses, hosting other activities, things like concerts and other sports, “due to the unique nature of the events.” Sales would be restricted to beer and wine.

“For attracting top performing acts to our venues and in hosting major sporting events beyond the college level, it is common practice to permit the sale of alcohol. Our venues are at a disadvantage in gaining the sign on of such attractions, and it is possible to have alcohol served in a safe and responsible manner,” said David Gray, senior vice president for Finance and Business.

A similar argument was used with the Jordan Center application in 2015.

ICA is beginning to look at possibilities for renovations at Beaver Stadium and other sports venues. At a Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County event in January, Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Operating Officer Phil Esten talked about how Penn State is looking at what is working for other universities with their athletic facilities, and many of the slides he showed and amenities he talked about included things like clubs, suites, and private facilities, and the possibility of utilizing the venues for more than just game days.

“In the private areas of our athletics venues, such as the suites, there is a request for alcohol service and, in benchmarking against other facilities across the country we have seen that controlling the service with trained personnel is key to responsible sale and consumption. The plan is to have certified servers in these areas who also are trained in intervention,” Gray said.

The issue could go before the full board for discussion in May.

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 8:46 PM with the headline "PSU ponders mixing alcohol and athletics."