VSA de-recognizes Vassar Brewskies club

Hayley Tsukayama Staff Writer

The Vassar Brewskies, recognized by the Vassar Students Association (VSA) council last year, were derecognized as a VSA organization at the Council meeting on Sunday, Sept. 25.

The approval of the Brewskies, a group formed with the intention of brewing their own beer, raised legal concerns from the Office of Campus Activities almost immediately.

“It’s become apparent that there is no way for the Brewskies, as currently constituted, to continue as an organization,” said VSA President Rick Rodems ’06. Because the organization needs clearance both from the State of New York and the New York State Health Department, and would require exception from college alcohol policy, the Brewskies faced too many obstacles to remain a VSA organization.

On May 4, Associate Dean of the College Raymon P. Parker, in an e-mail to VSA Secretary Laureen Cantwell ’06, itemized concerns about how the Brewskies could operate as a brewing organization in New York without a license.

He raised questions about how such an organization would clash with college alcohol policy, and, pragmatically speaking, where and how the beer would be brewed and distributed. In an interview last Thursday, Parker said he did not “quite see the use of the activities fee for a purpose that can only serve a small percentage of the Vassar population,” particularly one that needed facilities the College cannot provide.

After attending a meeting of the Hudson Valley Home Brewers association with Brewskies founder Dan Biller ’06, Parker said it quickly became “apparent to me that it’s one thing for an individual to brew beer, and another for an organization to do so.”

According to Parker, the State of New York allows for individuals to brew up to 200 gallons of beer per year, but organizations need licenses to brew beer. Individual members of the Brewskies could not, however, brew beer separately and meet to share their beer, as members of the Home Brewers Association do, because of college alcohol policy. “We don’t allow BYOB to school-sanctioned or public events,” said Parker.

On Sept. 16, Parker—in a second e-mail to Cantwell—strongly recommended that “the VSA rescind the Brewskies recognition as a VSA organization as quickly as possible.”

Cantwell distributed a copy of this e-mail and the May 4 e-mail from Parker at the Council meeting for members to read when they discussed derecognition.

The Council passed the motion to derecognize the Brewskies passed unanimously.

The executive board of the Brewskies, comprised of secretary Chris Miller ’06, Biller, and Brewmaster Joe Kleinman ’07 said in an e-mailed statement, “Today is a sad day for beer, our college, and our Glorious Founder, brewer Matthew Vassar. This school is turning its back on the very principles it was founded upon: beer. As it seems impossible for us to brew beer as a recognized organization, the Brewskies do not currently have plans to reconstitute.”

Rodems expressed appreciation that the Brewskies were responsible about the issues with their organization. He said, “The Brewskies, particularly Dan Biller, have done a great job of doing the research…[and] have really displayed a lot of maturity in approaching this from not only their own perspective, but also the College’s perspective and the VSA. They should be commended for that.”