Alcohol Policy

Dean College Alcohol Policy

Students are expected to comply with all federal, state, and local laws with regards to possession, use and distribution of alcohol, controlled substances, and prescription medications.

Specific violations of the alcohol policy include, but are not limited to:

1. Possession or use of alcohol by a student who is under the age of 21.
2. Providing, serving, and/or distributing alcohol to students who are under the age of 21.
3. Possession of alcohol of a student who is over the age of 21, except in alcohol-approved residence rooms and at College-sponsored activities where alcohol use is approved for those over the age of 21. Open Containers and/or consumption of alcohol in public areas (hallways, bathrooms, lounges, outside) of any student is prohibited.
4. Possession of alcohol by a single student, who is over the age of 21, may not exceed the equivalent of twelve 12-ounce cans or bottles of beer or two 750-milliliter bottles of wine or 1 liter of hard alcohol.
5. Possession of any alcohol that is over 80% alcohol by volume.
6. Possession of common source alcohol containers and paraphernalia (i.e., kegs, beer balls, etc…)
7. Driving under the influence of alcohol or possession of alcohol while operating a vehicle is prohibited.

Massachusetts State Law Concerning Alcohol

Any person who knowingly or intentionally supplies, gives, or provides alcohol to a person under 21 years of age or allows a person under 21 years to possess alcohol shall be punished by a fine of not more than $2,000 or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both. 

Any person under 21 years of age who purchases or attempts to purchase alcoholic beverages or alcohol, or makes arrangements with any person to purchase or in any way procure such beverages, or who willfully misrepresents his age, or in any way alters, defaces or otherwise falsifies his identification offered as proof of age, with the intent of purchasing alcoholic beverages, either for his own use or for the use of any other person shall be punished by a fine of $300. A conviction for violating these provisions will be reported to the registrar of motor vehicles, who will suspend the defendant’s driver’s license for 180 days.

Any person who knowingly makes a false statement as to the age of a person who is under 21 years of age in order to procure a sale or delivery of such alcoholic beverages or alcohol to such person under 21 years of age, either for the use of the person under 21 years of age or for the use of some other person, and whoever induces a person under 21 years of age to make a false statement as to his age in order to procure a sale or delivery of such beverages or alcohol to such person under 21 years of age, shall be punished by a fine of $300. A conviction for violating these provisions will be reported to the registrar of motor vehicles, who will suspend the defendant’s driver’s license for 180 days.

Any person in a licensed premises shall, upon request of an agent of the commission or the local licensing authorities, state his name, age, and address. Whoever, upon such request, refuses to state his name, age or address, or states a false name, age, or address, including a name or address which is not his name or address in ordinary use, will be guilty of a misdemeanor and will be punished by a fine of not more than $500.

Any person who transfers, alters or defaces any driver’s license or liquor purchase identification card , or who makes, uses, carries, sells or distributes a false identification card or license, or uses the identification card or motor vehicle license of another, or furnishes false information in obtaining such card or license, will be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $200 or by imprisonment for not more than three months.

Any person under 21 years of age and not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, who knowingly possesses, transports or carries on his person, any alcohol or alcoholic beverages, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $50 for the first offense and not more than $150 for a second or subsequent offense. A conviction for violating this provision will be reported to the registrar of motor vehicles, who will suspend the defendant’s driver’s license for 90 days.

The host of a party may be liable for injuries caused by his or her guests. A host who knew or should have known that his or her guest was drunk, and nevertheless gave or permitted the guest to take an alcoholic drink, is exposed to liability for any injuries the intoxicated guest caused to a third person through negligent operation of a car. If the guest is a minor, the host may be liable even if the minor was not intoxicated when the host served the minor alcohol.

The maximum permitted blood-alcohol level for drivers over 21 years of age is .08. A first conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol carries mandatory alcohol education, a 210 day suspension, and fees. Massachusetts has a “zero tolerance” law for drivers under 21 years of age. For such drivers, any alcohol level greater than .02 (roughly equivalent to one mixed drink or beer) will result in on-the-spot revocation of the driver’s license.

Town of Franklin Alcoholic Beverages Law

No person shall drink or have in his or her possession an open container of any alcoholic beverage while in or upon any public way or any way to which the public has a right of access, any municipal building, facility or land or any place to which members of the public have access as invitees or licensees, except upon premises or at an event for which the Town Council has issued an alcoholic beverages license. 

The penalty for each violation of this article shall be $300; the enforcing agent shall be the Franklin Police Department. 

Read the entire Code of Student Conduct.