Food and Alcohol Sales, Serving, and Conduct Policy

A framework for sales, serving, and conduct

Rationale

The Indiana University Alumni Association, Inc. (IUAA) and its Board of Managers support university efforts to enhance the safety of Indiana University (IU) event participants and to promote responsible drinking behavior and food safety among all its constituents.

The IUAA recognizes that alcoholic beverages and food is sometimes served at alumni programs and events. This policy provides a framework for the sale and/or serving of alcohol and food at events, offers protection and safety guidance for programs, and provides guidelines on maintaining proper insurance protection coverage for all events operating under the auspices of the association. IUAA staff and volunteer training programs will reinforce that the best protection against tragedy and legal liability is to use care and discretion in planning and delivering events.

This policy applies to all activities formally associated with the IUAA on and off campus. This includes all alumni groups (affiliate, campus, and constituent groups) chartered by the Association, as well as groups using the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center or other premises contracted by the Association.

Policies

Responsible Alcohol Service

  • Activities at which the consumption of alcohol is the primary activity are not permitted. Examples include pub crawls and happy hours. The focus of events never should be related to alcohol or the consumption of alcohol, and always be focused on meaningful activities that are mutually beneficial to IU and IU alumni.
  • Alcoholic beverages shall not be offered at programs exclusively designed to attract current or prospective students, who may be younger than 21 years.
  • Alcoholic beverages will never be served to minors, individuals who arrive intoxicated, or individuals who become intoxicated at the event.
  • Alcoholic beverages must be served by a licensed third-party vendor that is qualified to serve alcohol and has liquor liability insurance coverage. Neither IU staff nor the customer will be permitted to provide alcoholic beverages, serve them, or in any way handle the service. All persons engaged in the service must be agents of the licensed caterer.
  • Alcoholic beverages may never be served by any volunteer or staff person representing the IUAA.
  • Alcoholic beverages may never be promoted as “free” or “without cost,” although host bars are acceptable, subject to approval in advance of the event from the IUAA Business Office.
  • Alcoholic beverages must not be served “self-service” style or by any other uncontrolled means.
  • Food must be provided or available for purchase at events at which alcohol is being served.
  • Non-alcoholic beverages must also be offered at events.
  • Under no circumstance will “bring your own” (BYOB) events be allowed.

Food Protection

  • All food served at any IUAA-sponsored alumni program or event should be prepared and packaged by a licensed, third-party vendor that is qualified, certified and licensed to serve food.
  • Events that do not take place in an establishment where food is prepared and served may provide and serve food, but it should be prepared and packaged by a licensed third-party vendor (i.e. a catering company, local restaurant, or pre-packaged and prepared goods from a grocery store).
  • Pot-luck style events in which homemade food is prepared and brought to the event are not permitted at IUAA-sponsored events.
  • Reasonable precaution should be taken in serving and distributing pre-packaged food items. Volunteers or staff persons experiencing symptoms of sickness should not handle food intended to be distributed to event guests.
  • Reasonable steps should be taken to inform event guests of food that contains potential allergens. When possible, nutrition facts with ingredient lists should be available, especially when the event takes place outside of an establishment where food is prepared and served.

Staff and Volunteer Conduct

IUAA staff and volunteers of chartered alumni communities are representatives of the IUAA and are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and comply with the Indiana University policy found at https://policies.iu.edu/policies/hr-07-60-substance-free-workplace/index.html.

IUAA staff members and volunteers may attend events and activities where alcohol is served. Representatives of the IUAA who consume alcohol at these events should do so responsibly and must behave in a manner consistent with the IUAA’s values.

Alumni Events Held at Locations Other than University Property

Alcohol can be served at events that are hosted, sponsored, and/or supported by the IUAA, provided that the alcohol is served and/or sold by a third-party vendor such as a caterer or restaurant that is authorized, insured, and licensed to serve alcohol. The vendor must meet the insurance requirements laid out in this policy.

If an instance should arise where a guest has consumed too much alcohol, staff or volunteers should notify the manager of the facility and ask him or her to handle the situation.

Alumni Events Held on University Property

Events held on the property of Indiana University must follow established IU and campus policies and the laws of the State of Indiana. The complete IU policy is at https://policies.iu.edu/policies/fin-ins-10-service-alcohol/index.html.

Insurance Requirements

The IUAA requires the following insurance coverages and limits from all caterers, food service companies, bartending service companies, banquet halls, hotels and restaurants for any event for the applicable services provided. For restaurants and hotels, if the event is large enough to be under contract with the facility, the insurance requirements should be addressed.

  • General Liability
    • Each Occurrence: $1,000,000
    • Products: $1,000,000 per occurrence
    • Completed Operations: $1,000,000 per occurrence
    • General aggregate: $2,000,000
  • Liquor Liability:
    • Each Occurrence: $3,000,000 (at least $1 million primary coverage and any combination of primary and umbrella coverages)
    • Aggregate: $3,000,000
    • Contract Language: Vendor should agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Indiana University Alumni Association, Inc. and the Trustees of Indiana University for damages and defense resulting from the serving of alcoholic beverages and any other products offered by the vendor.
  • Auto Liability:
    • Coverage for all owned, hired and non-owned autos
    • Each accident: $1,000,000
  • Workers Compensation
    • Employers Liability:
      • $1,000,000 each accident or disease
      • $1,000,000 each employee
      • $1,000,000 each policy limit
  • Excess/Umbrella
    • Not required but can be used to meet the above requirements so long as it covers the associated liability
  • Commercial General Liability, Liquor Liability, and Auto Liability policies should name Indiana University Alumni Association, Inc. and the Trustees of Indiana University as Additional Insured on a Primary and Non-Contributory basis.
  • All policies should include a Waiver of Subrogation Provision in favor of both:
    • Indiana University Alumni Association, Inc, its officers, agents and employees
    • Trustees of Indiana University, its officers, agents, and employees

Third Party Events

  • The IUAA and its affiliates will not publicize or promote, including in IUAA-sanctioned newsletters and social media, third-party events that do not have a direct connection to an IU, IUAA, Big Ten, or NCAA cause or event. A direct connection may include causes taken up by a chapter or affiliate (such as IU Cares projects or chapter participation in a benefit for the local food bank) or agreements defined by an advertising or sponsorship contract. Individuals who interact with social media presences maintained by the IUAA may choose to share events with fellow alumni or users. The IUAA facilitates these connections, but cannot be held responsible for third-party causes or events that conflict with this policy.
  • In support of university efforts to curb alcohol abuse, the IUAA and its affiliates will not publicize or promote, including in IUAA-sanctioned newsletters and social media sites, bar crawls or events with the main or sole purpose of drinking.
  • Volunteers representing IUAA affiliates are responsible for adhering to third-party policies related to the use of logos or corporate identities (e.g. Big Ten).
  • The Big Ten and NCAA reserve all rights to all trade names and marks.  Please contact them prior to promoting events using “Big Ten” or “NCAA”.

Compliance

Please contact the Alumni Business Office or your staff liaison at the IUAA if you have any concerns or questions regarding compliance with this policy. Failure to comply with this policy may result in inadequate insurance coverage and unnecessary risk for the IUAA, its staff, volunteers and alumni. As a result, the failure to comply with this policy may result in revocation of alumni community charter, allocations, member status, and other privileges and services provided by the IU Alumni Association, as well as appropriate legal action.

Date of last update

This policy was last updated October 2020.
This policy replaces the Responsible Alcohol Use Policy, September 2017.
This policy replaces the Third party Events and Events with Alcohol policy, August 2010.