Despite initial advertisements for a cash bar at Saturday’s Senior Holiday Social, organizers decided this week that they would not be serving alcohol at the event.

The Senior Class Council and the Alumni Ambassador Senior Class Committee, in conjunction with the Alumni Association, planned the event, which will be held at the new Park Alumni Center.

According to Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs, the council’s plan to have a cash bar was against University policies.

Earlier in the semester, organizers of the Design School Bash faced a similar situation when they were not permitted to have alcohol at their event.

“It is similar in that it is a student organization event,” Stafford said. “It is different in the sense that the Design [School Bash organizers] wanted to let students bring alcohol in.”

Stafford informed the Alumni Association of the potential violation Tuesday afternoon.

Brooklyn Winters, the director of special-interest and campus programs for the Alumni Association and adviser for the groups that planned the event, said that after talking to Stafford, she cancelled the cash bar.

Stafford said his stance is justified by section 5.1 of the University Alcohol Regulation, which states “no permission will be granted to serve, possess or consume alcohol at events held by students or student organizations or at University sponsored events focused primarily on students or student groups.”

Wednesday evening, Cary Strickland, the senior class vice president and one of the planners of the event, notified Technician that the groups involved decided to cancel the Senior Holiday Social altogether. But Thursday morning, he informed Technician that the event is back on. However, alcohol still will not be permitted.

“We decided that if we cancelled, it sends the message that we can’t pull off an event without alcohol,” he said. “That is not the message we want to extend.”

Strickland said they’ll hold the event in a heated tent next to the new Alumni Center, located on Centennial Campus.

According to the introduction of the University Alcohol Regulation, “The Alcohol Policy of the Board of Trustees provides that liquor, mixed beverages and fortified wine may be possessed and consumed in nonresidential buildings on University property, and areas other than private rooms in University housing facilities, only with the Chancellor’s permission.”

However, Lennie Barton, the executive director of the Alumni Association, said the new center isn’t legally a University building yet, as it was constructed with private funds.

The Definition of University Jurisdiction in the University Alcohol Policy states that “…private parties who own or lease facilities on property owned by the University shall not be required to obtain the Chancellor’s permission for possession and consumption of spirituous liquor, mixed beverages and fortified wine in their privately owned or leased facilities.”

Regardless of University jurisdiction, Barton noted that “The Alumni Association is still an affiliated entity [with the University].”

“Anything we do – we can’t violate University policy,” Barton said.

Kevin MacNaughton, the associate vice chancellor for facilities, indicated that the Alumni Center will officially be a University facility “within a week or so,” but he also pointed out that University policies do apply to the building.

“[The Alumni Center] falls under the University Alcohol Policy from the get-go,” he said.

Stafford acknowledged that the Alumni Association has an exemption to the alcohol policies and regulations to sell alcohol in their club, but not when it involves a student event.

The social will feature a jazz band and hors d’oeuvres, and according to Strickland, the event is free to seniors and guests.

Winters said the gathering is the first of its kind and “the setting of the event is elegant and fun at the same time.”

Strickland emphasized that the social is “kind of an adult way to send the seniors off into the real world.”

Although it won’t feature alcohol, organizers said the Senior Holiday Social will still be a success.

“Alcohol won’t determine the success of the event,” Winters said. “What determines the success of the event is people that come and have a good time.”