As part of its ongoing efforts to improve campus social life, the Student Union is exploring reimbursing costs for registered private parties in residential suites, as long as the party remains safe, Union officials said."The Student Union finds it necessary to promote suite parties," Student Union President Alison Schwartzbaum'08 said in her State of the Union Address in December. Schwartzbaum framed the proposal as an incentive for students to throw safe parties, saying the Union would reimburse the first registered parties each week-so long as the festivities did not violate the University's basic rules of student conduct.

The proposal, Union Director of Communications Brian Paternostro '07 said he hopes will be implemented by February, will reimburse party hosts for $50, which will come out of the Executive Board's social life fund.

The proposal comes after a semester of heightened bickering between Union officials and administrators over alcohol use on campus. After administrators effectively killed a popular outdoor campus party for good. Union officials went to enormous efforts last semester to put on Purple Rain, a party with alcohol, for of age students, on the Great Lawn that saw limited attendance.

Meanwhile Student Events and Union officials, facing a policy they argue excessively restricts alcohol consumption at campus events, are working with administrators to make alcohol at those events less expensive. They highlight security costs as especially excessive, and Schwartzbaum acknowledged during her State of the Union address that Purple Rain was held to demonstrate that the administration's security measures are excessive.

Alwina Bennett, assistant dean of Student Life, said she has concerns about student money going toward purchasing alcohol. "[The Union is] using 75 percent of the people's money who can't drink to buy alcohol for people who can probably buy their own beer," she said last month.

Paternostro said the new policy would make parties safer because students will have extra money to spend on "decorations [and] themes, anything that deemphasizes drinking."

"To me it's not a particularly earth shaking decision," Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said.

Details of the proposal remain unclear, including whether money would necessarily go toward alcohol itself or snacks and other party costs.

According to the Party Registration Form, in order to register for a party, a suite must submit the Party Registration Form to Public Safety, after getting it signed by their Quad Director, at least five business days before the date of the party.

The form states ResLife and Public Safety officials will check in at the party, which must end by 1 a.m. on weekends, when quiet hours begin.

Paternostro said the process for registering parties would not change.