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Special Cases

Graduate Communities

Graduate student communities may extend party invitations to friends, family, spouses, and partners of party-goers, and others without university IDs at the discretion of the Stanford University personnel overseeing the community (i.e. the Graduate Life Office, the Graduate School of Business throwing the party and the party planner, so long as inviting those without university IDs does not lead to people under 21 being served alcohol.

Groups and residences that are 100 percent graduate student in membership may have hard alcohol in the form of mixed drinks at registered “Members” parties.  If a group has both undergraduate and graduate membership, then beer and wine are the only alcoholic beverages that can be present or served, including “members” parties.  Shots of hard alcohol are prohibited at any party.

Charging During Events Where Alcohol Is Served

Student groups and houses/dorms cannot charge admission to and/or charge for any goods or services at undergraduate on-campus parties/events where alcohol will be served or otherwise made available, in which anyone under the age of 21 will be present or likely to be present.  Further, students charging money for minors to drink alcohol may be held personally responsible for any harm caused by the minor. 

Cash Bars and Paying for Drinks

For a variety of reasons, people want to sell alcoholic beverages at parties or tickets to parties. Although you may find a licensed bartender and assume that the bartender’s license to serve alcohol is equivalent to the licenses needed to sell alcohol, it is not. Most bartenders do not have a license to sell alcohol. If you want to sell alcohol, or even tickets for an event with alcohol, you must acquire a single day alcohol license from Santa Clara Count ABC.  If you wish to acquire a single day alcohol license follow these instructions.  https://osep.stanford.edu/alcohol-service-and-licensing-requirements

Parties in Private Residences

Parties in private residences are prohibited.

Party planning guidelines outline that all service agreements with outside vendors must have a contract in place that stipulates the nature of the business relationship and contractual expectations, obligations and terms of liability. When parties are held at private residences, no contract is present for the event. Hence, Stanford is sponsoring and funding parties in spaces where Stanford has no control or oversight of the property, absent a written contract. Incidents that occur in the private residences place Stanford at-risk for liability with the homeowner and party-goers.

Off-Campus Parties

A few things about off-campus parties.

  1. Sign a contract with the venue, outlining the services the venue will provide.
  2. If you plan on visiting an off-campus space with a group of 50 people or greater, charter a bus.
  3. Once you charter a bus, you will need to retain security to help you load and unload the bus. Visit Event Security.