Liquor License & Alcohol Policy

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Owner	Administration and Finance
Contact	[email protected]
Document Type	Policy
Issue Date	August 2025
Last Review	July 2025
Related Documents	Alcohol Authorization Request Form University Rate Schedule

Ferris State University acknowledges and respects the rights of individuals to use alcohol in a legal and
responsible manner. Events held within Ferris State University’s campus, the David L. Eisler Center,
Katke Golf Course and the Woodridge N. Ferris Building at Kendall College of Art & Design (KCAD) at which
alcoholic beverages are to be served must comply with the rules and regulations set forth by the Michigan Liquor
Control Commission (MLCC).

Policy Statement
Policy
Events Sponsored by University Groups & Departments
Events Sponsored by Non-University Individuals or Groups
Locations
Times and Service Standards
Facility Rental Charges & Billing
Control
Special One-Day Liquor License
Hosted and Non-Hosted Events
General Rules for Alcohol Use at On-Campus Events
Event Liability Insurance Coverage
Contacts

A. Policy Statement

The University’s Class C Liquor Licenses are limited to designated areas within the David L. Eisler Center,
Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD. The Ferris Dining Services Department
administers the licenses.

The university recognizes that both the consumption of alcohol on college campuses and the occurrences of alcohol abuse are serious issues. The university also recognizes the dangers of alcohol abuse in connection with malicious destruction of property, driving accidents, personal injury, interpersonal violence, sexual assault, alcohol poisoning and other related activities including alcohol related death. The university encourages individuals to make informed, responsible decisions about alcoholic beverages in accordance with state law and campus policy.

B. Provisions

The following provisions outline the ways in which the university can use the liquor license:

The license covers the David L. Eisler Center, Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD which are owned by the university.

Under the statute, no individual or organizations or caterer may bring alcohol for his or her event into
these facilities. Any beer or wine must be purchased from the Katke Golf Course and/or Ferris Dining
Services.

Given the Michigan statute and specific decisions made by the university, the following guidelines apply under this Liquor License Policy:

Under the Michigan statutes, the university may not share the proceeds from the sale of alcohol with anyone, regardless of whether they are a non-profit or otherwise.
Michigan Liquor Control Commission rules (Rule 15) requires the license to be “framed under a transparent material, and shall be prominently displayed within the licensed premises”. This also applies to the special one-day permits. The license should be prominently displayed near other displayed licenses or permits. The golf course will also need to post the “Age Sign” obtained from the MLCC website. These Age Sign postings have to be updated annually with the renewal of the license.
Individual employees of the university, which are properly trained and certified for the service of beer and
wine through the Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS Certified), will be eligible to perform this service at the David L. Eisler Center, Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD. The university will maintain well-documented records of employee training.
The university will purchase beer and wine from vendors approved to sell these products in Michigan. The
university may not accept donated beer or wine from any vendor or other person as a gift-in-kind.
All inventory of beer and wine stored at these facilities must be secured in a locked room or cooler.
At the end of any given event that included beer and wine service, partial bottles of beer will be disposed of
at the end of the event. Partial bottles of wine will be disposed of unless there is another event within the next 10 days on the university premises that calls for beer and wine service.
The service of beer and wine will be handled in compliance with all applicable Michigan Liquor Control
Commission rules and regulations.
The Executive Director of Auxiliary Services will have the responsibility to monitor the status of the licenses and start the renewal process in adequate time to obtain the renewal without a gap in the license effective dates.

C. Events Sponsored by University Groups & Departments

Events sponsored by registered student organizations (RSO) or university departments where alcohol is requested will invoke special conditions:

If a RSO: The organization’s advisor or a faculty/staff member must be present during the hours while a bar is in operation. Events organized by student organizations can only have non-hosted bars.
If a university group or department: A faculty or staff member responsible for the group must be present during the hours while a bar is in operation.
If the advisor or faculty/staff member is not present for the event where alcohol is requested, the bar will be shut down and the sponsoring organization will be assessed the minimum bar charge. The event itself may continue without alcohol.

D. Events Sponsored by Non-University Individuals or Groups

Non-University individuals or groups will not be permitted to sponsor events involving alcoholic beverages on university property. The following are the exceptions:

Organizations under the sponsorship of the Ferris Foundation.
Individuals who have a relationship with the university will be permitted to sponsor events that include alcohol in the David L. Eisler Center, Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD.
A Facility Use Agreement must be completed and approved before event planning may begin.

E. Locations

Events involving alcohol may be scheduled at the David L. Eisler Center, Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD. Other locations will require a special one-day license (Alcohol Authorization Request Form).

F. Times and Service Standards

The David L. Eisler Center, Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD regular hours
of operation dictate that events will not continue past 10:00 p.m. Sunday – Thursday and 10:00 pm on Friday
and Saturday.

At all events where alcohol is to be present, food of a substantial nature must be provided for the guests by the
host. For receptions, food of a substantial nature is equivalent to a minimum of three hors d'oeuvre portions per
person attending the event for each hour of bar service.

No alcohol other than that provided by Ferris Dining Services Department may be served within our facilities.
Additionally, no alcohol can be removed from the event.

Bar service is limited to four hours. For events including a full meal service, one hour of wine service may be
added during meal service. Bar service may begin no earlier than one hour prior to meal service.

G. Facility Rental Charges & Billing

Both university and non-university organizations will be assessed the appropriate room rental charges for events
where alcohol is served. Sponsoring groups will also be responsible for the approved minimum bar charge. See
University Rate Schedule.

H. Control

If it is anticipated that minors will be attending an event, the Ferris Dining Services Department will assess and
determine whether alcohol will be allowed, the placement of the bar, and any conditions that will be imposed.

If alcohol is allowed, the sponsoring individuals or organizations will be required to provide a plan with the
Facility Use Agreement stating the measures that will be taken to prevent minors from obtaining, purchasing, or
consuming alcohol during the event.

University faculty, staff, advisors, or Ferris Dining Services has the authority to shut down the bar during any
event where there are suspected violations of this policy, the regulations of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, or any other laws concerning the servicing or distribution of alcoholic beverages. The event itself
may be allowed to continue without alcohol.

Per university policy, only Ferris Dining Services personnel that are TIPS Certified are authorized to dispense
alcohol.

I. Special One-Day Liquor License

The University has twelve (12) special one-day licenses that can be used in a calendar year. Notice will be
sent to the campus community via a University Wide Notice of the application period and deadline for submittal
for these licenses. See Alcohol Authorization Form.

J. Hosted and Non-Hosted Events

The university provides the ability to have both Hosted and Non-Hosted events where alcohol can be served.

For a Hosted Event the following criteria must be met & followed:

The event is free of charge; there is no exchange of compensation, either monetary or non-monetary.
The event is not open to the public (i.e. is by invitation only);
No regular liquor inventory is kept at the event location or by the sponsoring department.
The event is monitored by a designed responsible individual.
All servers are TIPS certified and 18 years of age prior to the event.
Requires a completed and approved Alcohol Authorization Form from the Business and Special Expense Business Policy.

A Non-Hosted Event is defined as any event where alcoholic beverages are sold, paid for by donation, donated,
or included in the price of a meal, hors d’oeuvres, or registration fee.

This event requires a Michigan Liquor License Commission Liquor License.
For events held at a non-licensed location, a Special (one-day) Liquor License is required.
All Special Liquor Licenses are vetted and processed in the Administration & Finance Office using the Alcohol Authorization Form.
The sponsoring department will be responsible for paying any required fees.

The following guidelines apply to both Hosted and Non-Hosted Events:

All alcohol must be purchased through Ferris Dining Services.
Alcoholic beverages purchased without proper authorization via the Alcohol Authorization Form may become the personal responsibility of the employee making the purchase.
A completed Alcohol Authorization Form must be submitted and approved by the start of the event and before making any contractual commitments or sending event invitations.
All Alcohol Authorization Forms must be turned into the Administration & Finance office for final signatures.

K. General Rules for Alcohol Use at On-Campus Events

Public and private events at the university that include alcoholic beverages may take place only in the David L. Eisler Center, Katke Golf Course and the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at KCAD. All events involving alcoholic beverages shall be conducted within the following guidelines:

Alcoholic beverages may be sold, furnished and consumed only within the area approved and designated for the event.
Non-alcoholic beverages must be available and identified at the same place as the alcoholic beverages and be featured equally and at least as prominently as the alcoholic beverages.
No event shall include any form of “drinking contest” in its activities or promotion.
Advertisements for any university event where alcoholic beverages are served shall not focus on the availability of alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic beverages may not be served at any NCAA or MHSAA Competition held at Katke Golf Course.

L. Event Liability Insurance Coverage

For all RSOs and non-university individuals or external groups, the university requires the following:

To obtain liquor liability insurance for the Event in the amount of not less than one million ($1,000,000.00)
dollars for injury or death, per occurrence, and property damage insurance of not less than one million
($1,000,000.00) dollars, per occurrence.

To provide the university with satisfactory evidence of such insurance, naming the university as an additional
insured and certificate holder, before the event begins.

If the event requires a special liquor license, must also provide proof of liquor liability insurance in the amount
of three hundred thousand ($300,000.00) dollars, naming the university as an additional insured."

M. Contacts

For all RSOs and non-university individuals or external groups, the uni

Liquor License & Alcohol Policy | University Policies & Procedures | Ferris State University