Law Schools

Is Alcohol Really Necessary At Law School Networking Events?

Probably not, and a lack of alcohol at these events won't affect your law school's ranking.

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Earlier this week, we learned that following the untimely alcohol-related death of an undergraduate student at Florida State University, alcohol had been indefinitely banned for all student organizations events, including law school events. While many law students weren’t thrilled with the way things played out — several law school events were disrupted because specific guidelines for the ban weren’t immediately delivered to students — one law student took to the pages of the Tallahassee Democrat where she contended that the ban could result in a “drop in [the] law school’s rankings as job placement and alumni involvement suffers.”

We attacked that stance because while adults who are of age should be permitted to drink alcohol responsibly at post-graduate program events, given the circumstances here, the ban was instituted to change the culture of the school community as a whole. Realistically speaking, this should have been nothing more than an inconvenience to law students. While alcohol can certainly be beneficial during networking events, it’s simply not necessary — and the lack of it won’t affect the law school’s ranking.

Law students received clarification about the alcohol ban the day after several groups were forced to change their events at the last minute. Here’s a message that was sent to students the day after that happened by Associate Dean Nancy Benavides:

If the event is being held at a restaurant (bars that do not serve food may not be OK) and alcohol is available for purchase to those over the age of 21, the University is ok with that, as long as the [registered student organization (RSO)] is not providing the alcohol. RSOs are discouraged from advertising drink specials.

Those who attend FSU networking events are free to purchase their own alcoholic drinks, but student organizations can’t furnish them. This isn’t a big deal at all, but it’s been made into one thanks to what law students specialize in: overreaction.

Yes, there are 10 other law schools that FSU is competing with within the state, but the closest one is more than 100 miles away. If you think that local alumni are going to stop attending events because they won’t be able to drink for free, you’re wrong. If you think that judges, federal prosecutors, state officials, and political leaders from out of the area are going to flock to other law schools instead of FSU because they’ll have to pay for their own drinks, you’re sorely mistaken.

We’ve heard from many FSU Law students on both sides of the issue, but the vast majority of them think that the alcohol ban is warranted. In fact, we received a statement that was co-signed by five FSU student leaders which notes that alcohol has never been a consideration at many of the school’s most important events that allow students to engage with the legal community at large. Here’s a pertinent excerpt from that statement (available in full on the next page):

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We find many of the opinions and premises in the op-ed concerning, as they do not adequately represent the College of Law’s efforts to assist its students with job placement, nor do those opinions fully represent the students and alumni who have worked hard to contribute to the legal profession responsibly.

The recent op-ed grossly undersells what Florida State has to offer in terms of job prospects. Our administration and student organizations host many events throughout the year to encourage student engagement with members of the legal community in personal and professional settings, many of which do not involve alcohol. …

In sum, as students of the Florida State University College of Law, we are proud of the numerous alumni events that do not involve alcohol hosted by both our faculty and students.

How does the ban truly affect the College of Law’s students? As officers and members of multiple organizations, we believe that young professionals are perfectly capable of having a drink or two at networking events without jeopardizing their health or safety. However, the passing of a young man is tragic, and we support President Thrasher’s decision to do what he felt was immediately necessary for the ENTIRE Florida State community. The safety of our students is far more important than having a drink in our hand while speaking with future employers at a school event. Lastly, it is worth noting that the ban does not preclude our students from attending networking engagements that contain alcohol; rather, the student organizations simply cannot furnish the funds for or provide the alcohol.

For her part, the law student who wrote the op-ed remains firm in her opinion, stating: “Do you think that having the occasional social drink with other adults is limited to lawyers?  No, of course it’s not.  It’s part of our entire American culture and the culture of much of the world.  The issues to be addressed are young people, many of whom are underage and away from home for the first time, abusing alcohol and the resulting effects of that behavior on everyone around them, including themselves. The suspension was overbroad and is negatively impacting student groups where there was no known problem. As can be found in ATL’s article, How Alcohol Can Help You Network — there is nothing wrong with having light beverages at these events and they can help facilitate social connections. I fully support FSU Law’s efforts on drinking awareness and still stand behind my opinion piece 100%.”

What do you think, readers? Is alcohol necessary at law school networking events? Is Florida State’s alcohol ban overbroad? Please let us know via email, text (646-820-8477), or tweet (@atlblog). Thanks very much!

(Flip to the next page to read the FSU Law student leaders’ statement in full.)

Earlier: Law Students Think Alcohol Ban Will Affect Job Placement, Law School Ranking

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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