Illustration by Jeff Wilson/KANSAN

Nearly three months after a proposal was made, there is still no decision on whether beer sales will be allowed in the Kansas Union.

The next step in the process will happen May 7, at the Memorial Corporation board meeting. The board is composed of 24 students, faculty and staff.

In a February 2005 meeting, the board unanimously approved a plan to look into bringing responsible alcohol sales back to the Union. Responsible alcohol sales include giving customers bracelets once they enter the Jaybowl region, not letting customers purchase more than one drink at a time and scanning people’s identification cards.

At the next meeting, the board will finalize a formal proposal that will be given to the top two administrators at the University, Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Provost David Shulenburger. Hemenway and Shulenburger will make the final decision.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success and a member of the board, said once a proposal is given to the Hemenway and Shulenburger, the most important thing that will have to be done is to talk to members of the community and gain feedback.

“There are some people who think this is a bad idea,” Roney said. “Once we have the proposal it will be important to talk to the community as a whole and see what they think.”

Roney said Hemenway and Shulenburger had not reached a decision on the idea because

they still had questions about the proposal. These questions involve how sales would happen at the Union, Roney said, and that these questions will be answered in the proposal.

Roney said there was no timetable with the proposal, and could not speculate when beer sales would be allowed, if it was approved.

If the proposal is approved, the Union will sell 3.2 percent beer. That’s the same type of beer that is sold at gas stations, grocery stores and the Crossing. Most beers sold in bars fall between 4 and 5 percent in alcohol content.

The Kansas Board of Regents limits campus sales of beer to the 3.2 percent variety.

Some students on campus think bringing beer to the Union is not a good idea. Amanda Tate, St. Louis senior, and president of Campus Crusade for Christ, thinks enough of college life already revolves around beer.

“I don’t think the Jaybowl will turn into a party scene or anything, but I like it the way it is now,” Tate said. “It’s just something different. So many activities include beer — why does this have to?”

Tate said that her opinion did not reflect Campus Crusade, and that the beer issue was something that had not been discussed within the organization.

Tate said she was in the minority, and said she thought most students wanted beer at the Union.

Tim O’Grady, Clarinda, Iowa, senior, is one of the students Tate is talking about.

“If there are good prices, I would walk over there and grab a beer if I lived on campus,” O’Grady said. “I wouldn’t walk there straight from class or anything and get drunk. I would go because it’s a good location.”

Steve Munch, student body president and Bellevue, Neb., junior, introduced the original bill for Student Senate proposing the idea of beer sales on January 26. Munch attended the board meeting in February, but because his term ends next week, Nick Sterner, student body president elect, will join him at the meeting, and will work with the administrators on the issue.