STAFF EDITORIAL: A student's right to beer

Boston University students have waited a long time for the opening of a modern and expansive sports complex like Agganis Arena. Seniors, especially, will soon see the results after observing years of construction. BU should respect the students who have waited and are anticipating the arena's opening and treat them as adults. But a new alcohol policy in Agganis assumes the worst of the school's many out-of-state students looking to buy drinks while sitting in the new seats of the arena. BU invested $97 million dollars in this arena. Their next step is to trust the students who will use it the most.

Anyone attending a hockey game in Agganis Arena who holds an out-of-state license must be 25 years old to purchase alcoholic beverages and provide a second form of identification if they are under 30, while game attendees holding a Massachusetts license can buy at 21 years old.

This arbitrary policy is unfair to most of the Boston University community. Almost every state is represented in the BU student body, and more students come from New York than Massachusetts. Students who are of legal age to drink should be able to purchase alcohol, no matter where they come from. This policy does not uphold the law -- it imposes unfair restrictions on legally aged students who should be trusted to buy and consume alcohol.

But, many college hockey rinks prohibit the sale of alcohol to anyone. With Walter Brown Arena, Boston University was smart enough to cater to alumni looking forward to a Terrier reunion and considerate enough to realize that students who have reached the legal age to drink should be able to do so in their university's arena. At Walter Brown all students who were least 21 were able to buy alcoholic beverages. There is no reason to change a suitable policy now.

BU should eliminate these unnecessary policies that make going to the hockey game a bureaucratic obstacle by installing scanners for Boston University identification cards. With the dazzingly modern facilities of the arena, it is hard to imagine that BU cannot afford to buy a few machines that can scan a BU ID card and verify that the student is of legal age. No matter where a student comes from, BU can always count on the legitimacy of a BU ID. This system would relieve the problem of sorting through fake and legitimate licenses, whether they're from Massachusetts or not.

BU cared enough about its sports fans to invest in the construction of this five-star, multimillion-dollar arena. They should now remove this ineffective and arbitrary alcohol policy that hurts the most loyal citizens of Terrier Nation - BU students.