Sober Monitor Responsibilities

What specifically is a sober monitor assigned to be a door person responsible for?

More About Sober Monitor Responsibilites

Door Person

The door person(s) are responsible for the following:

• Checking Stanford IDs (and driver’s licenses if you are handing out wristbands to those over 21)-- If it’s not a Stanford student, do not let them into your party
• Making sure people are not sneaking into the party who should not be there e.g. it’s a members only party but students from another program or group are sneaking in. ← The door people are the first stop gap to prevent this from happening.
• Preventing overly intoxicated guests from entering the party.
•  If someone cannot walk on their own, they should not be allowed in the party
•  If someone is belligerent, they should not be allowed in the party
•  If someone is vomiting outside, they should not be let inside the party
• ​​Deciding a system ahead of time with the beverage service sober monitors to identify folks who are of legal drinking age (e.g. wristbands etc.). Wristbands should be placed tightly on the wrist such that they cannot be slipped off easily.
• Being an active bystander:
  • Call 911 for anyone that may need medical attention
  • For those you are not letting into the party due to over intoxication but who do not need medical attention, suggest they visit the 5-SURE on foot table and encourage their friends to go with them.
  • If someone is belligerent and is threatening the safety of others, call 911.
  • If someone is about to walk out the door holding alcohol, remind them to put it down before they walk outside so they don’t get cited by police.
• Responding to any event that guests bring to your attention and directing it to the appropriate sober monitor → e.g. a guest brings to your attention someone who is making other guests uncomfortable and making unwanted advances on others → the door sober monitor should text the groupme with a description of the guest and ask one of the minglers to intercept them and ask them to leave. In most cases, the door person should NOT leave their post to take care of a guest inside the party; however, ALWAYS use your best judgement. If the person is right there, you can take care of it.

What Specifically Is a Sober Monitor Assigned to Be a Stairway Person Responsible for?

The stairway person(s) are responsible for the following:

• Post up by every stairway and ensure guests do not go outside of designated party areas. Stairways present a risk for intoxicated guests and unfortunately, every year, college students across the country die from falls down the stairs.
• Preventing people from going up the stairs to gain roof access. Again, heights, and intoxicated guests do not mix. It is unsafe for anyone to be on a roof and having sober monitors at the stairway will preemptively prevent roof access in most spaces. If there are other places where the roof can be accessed, you should also post a sober monitor there.
• Being an active bystander:
  •  Call 911 for anyone that may need medical attention
  • For those who do not need medical attention but clearly should not be drinking anymore, suggest they get some water, or that they visit the 5-SURE on foot table and encourage their friends to stick with them.
  • If someone is belligerent and is threatening the safety of others, call 911.
• Responding to any event that guests bring to your attention and directing it to the appropriate sober monitor → e.g. a guest brings to your attention someone who is making other guests uncomfortable and making unwanted advances on others → the stairway sober monitor should text the groupme with a description of the guest and ask one of the minglers to intercept them and ask them to leave. In most cases, the staircase person should NOT leave their post to take care of a guest inside the party; however, ALWAYS use your best judgement. If the person is right there, you can take care of it.

What specifically is a sober monitor assigned to be one of the mingler(s) responsible for?

The mingler(s) are responsible for the following:

• Mingling around the party to make sure guests are okay. The minglers should be interspersed throughout the party and should be walking around, interacting with guests casually and managing any problems that come to their attention.
• Minglers are NOT babysitters nor are they “out to kick guests out” of the party, though at times they may need to do so. Their role is really to be a visible sign to guests that if something is going on that they need assistance with, they are there to help.
•  If you see something that looks off, or you are uncertain if a guest is okay, you should ALWAYS check in with them and just ask, “hey are you okay?”, “can I get you some water?”, “can I help you find your friends?” etc. If you approach with a culture of care, no one is going to get mad at you for asking if they need anything.
• Being an active bystander:
  • Call 911 for anyone that may need medical attention
  • For those who do not need medical attention but clearly should not be drinking anymore, suggest they get some water, or that they visit the 5-SURE on foot table and encourage their friends to stick with them.
  • If someone is belligerent and is threatening the safety of others, call 911.
• Responding to any event that guests bring to your attention → e.g. a guest brings to your attention someone who is making other guests uncomfortable and making unwanted advances on others → as the mingler, you are most likely going to be the person responsible for intercepting them and asking them to leave. Even if you are the one responsible for acting on something, keep your other sobers updated and ask for backup if you need it!

What Specifically Is a Sober Monitor Assigned to Be On Beverage Service Responsible For?

The beverage service sober monitors are responsible for the following:

• Ensuring a single point of access for all of the alcohol at the party. There should be a designated place where you are serving alcohol.
• Ensuring that everyone receiving alcohol at the party is of age (you can do this by giving out wristbands to guests 21 and over at the bar or at the door – work this out with your door people)
• Ensuring that guests who are overly intoxicated do not get served. This is extremely important from both an ethic of care perspective AND a legal perspective. You are legally liable if a guest drinks too much and they are injured or sent to the hospital. Ways to ensure you don’t overserve guests include:
  • Pour drinks as people order them. Do NOT pour a bunch of drinks and allow guests to grab them from the bar as they walk by.
  • Use standard drink measurements so guests know how much they are drinking –OAPE cups are free and were made to help with this! All you need to do is ask for them!
  • ​Do NOT leave the alcohol unattended for guests to serve themselves. The signs of intoxication can look unclear sometimes. Know that if someone is stumbling or slurring words, they should not be served more alcohol.
  • Set a threshold e.g. if someone is slurring their words, it’s time to cut them off.
  • Set a 1:1 rule - that a single guest can only get 1 drink at a time from the bar (every guest needs to go up and get their own drink and can only get 1 at a time)
• Being an active bystander:
  • Call 911 for anyone that may need medical attention
  • For those who do not need medical attention but clearly should not be drinking anymore, suggest they get some water, or that they visit the 5-SURE on foot table and encourage their friends to stick with them.
  •  If someone is belligerent and is threatening the safety of others, call 911.
  • Responding to any event that guests bring to your attention and directing it to the appropriate sober monitor → e.g. a guest brings to your attention someone who is making other guests uncomfortable and making unwanted advances on others → the beverage service sober monitor should text the groupme with a description of the guest and ask one of the minglers to intercept them and ask them to leave. The beverage service sober monitor should NOT leave the bar. Again always use your best judgement. If a student passes out right in front of the bar, the beverage service sober monitor should absolutely be the first to respond and call 911. But they should also immediately text the other sober monitors to get back up.