Confirmed: Michigan State to sell alcohol when Washington visits Saturday
Michigan State made the first move toward allowing alcohol sales at Spartan Stadium this fall at a board meeting last month. That vote to change the campus rules and authorize applications to be submitted to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission was with the goal of having alcohol sales in place by the Sept. 16 home matchup against No. 8 Washington.
According to a source at MSU that spoke with Spartans Illustrated, that goal was a partial success as Spartan Stadium will be selling alcohol for the first time at an MSU game this Saturday. However, the Tavern license has still not been issued for Spartan Stadium by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) and MSU will instead be relying on special licenses issued for the next few weeks per a spokesperson for the MLCC.
Alcohol sales will begin 60 minutes before kickoff and end when the game clock shows 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
For more on the beer offerings, Paul Fanson ranks the beer selection being offered here:
Ranking the Beer Options at Spartan Stadium
In an update sent out by press release by Michigan State Thursday afternoon, the University noted the following details about alcohol sales at Spartan Stadium:
-Alcohol sales will be regulated beginning one hour before announced kickoff time until 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, at which time sales will discontinue.
-All patrons will be required to show ID at every purchase. There’s a limit of two alcoholic beverages per transaction. If an individual is already in possession of one beverage, they will only be permitted to purchase one additional beverage.
-Alcoholic beverages will be sold at fixed-location carts throughout Spartan Stadium, not in the pre-existing concession stands. There will be no sale in the seating areas, including the concession delivery system in place for the Sideline Club and Touchdown Club.
-All employees selling alcohol will be required to have appropriate training and certification to distribute and sell alcohol as required by Michigan Liquor Control Board policies.
-Alcohol is not permitted to leave Spartan Stadium.
-Fans are encouraged to recycle their beverage cans.
-Fake IDs presented will be confiscated and individuals will be referred to law enforcement. Students presenting Fake IDs also will be subject to the student conduct process.
-Both beer and seltzer options will be available. All beer will be sold in 16 oz. cans, while seltzer will be 12 oz. cans. Domestic beers and seltzer will cost $10. Michigan/Craft beers will be $12.
The update provided by MSU on Thursday clarified prior remarks made regarding the planned cutoff time for alcohol sales. While state law allows for sales to end later in the game, Michigan State made the decision that the earlier stop time, in part, will better ensure the cutoff time established by state law will be met without potential issues arising to interfere with compliance.
The MSU Board of Trustees had a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 16 in which they unanimously approved a revision to Ordinance 21.00 and an authorization for university staff to pursue the application for certain liquor licenses required from the State of Michigan to allow for sales.
Other home games at which MSU intends to sell alcohol include Maryland (Sept. 23), Michigan (Oct. 21) and Nebraska (Nov. 4). Home matchups against Central Michigan (Sept. 1) and Richmond (Sept. 9) came too soon following recent legislative changes for the University to have the needed steps in place for sales of alcoholic beverages.
The resolution passed by the board explicitly mentioned the goal was to have sales in place for the 5 p.m. Eastern Time game against the Huskies this Saturday. A new member of the Big Ten beginning next year, UW enters the matchup ranked No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches polls.
Michigan State spokesperson Emily Gerkin Guerrant confirmed to Spartans Illustrated last month following the board's vote that the University had spoken with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission regarding its intent to file an application for alcohol licenses. The MLCC advised MSU that the process could take around 30 days to complete, but could not make any guarantees.
An MLCC spokesperson further confirmed to Spartans Illustrated last month that an application can have several parts to it that can require follow-up questions that would need to be addressed by MLCC staff. The speed of processing liquor license applications can depend on the responsiveness of the applicant.
Alan Haller, Michigan State's vice president and athletic director, provided comments following the motion being approved by the Board of Trustees.
"Fans have expressed desire to be able to purchase and consume alcohol responsibly at Michigan State athletic events," Haller said. "Alcohol is currently already sold at Spartan Stadium in the MSUFCU Club and Suites area. Selling alcohol will allow many of our fans that travel to our Big Ten peer institutions to enjoy the same amenities that they enjoy there in Spartan Stadium. Nine of the 14 Big Ten schools currently sell alcohol in their stadiums. Of the five that do not, two sell at basketball (games), and Wisconsin has just announced plans to sell at basketball and hockey in the near future."
Vennie Gore, senior vice president for student life & engagement, also spoke to the board following the approval.
"This authorization will allow for us to apply for the permanent license and also the four special licenses for football games," Gore said. "Our team will be providing protocols to ensure that all of our guests and the service is done safely and efficiently. We will start sales 60 minutes before the game and then end sales 10 minutes* into the third quarter."
*Please note that since Gore's remark last month, Michigan State has provided notice published in the article above that sales will end five minutes into the third quarter.
Marlon Lynch, MSU's vice president for public safety and chief of police, also provided his thoughts.
"MSU Police and public safety continues to keep the safety of our Spartan community as its top priority," Lynch said. "Data from police and public safety departments from peer institutions within the Big Ten shows that there was not an increase in alcohol related incidents when allowing guests to purchase alcohol during athletic events. Also, stadium staff and officers will ensure alcohol is moved safely throughout the venue, especially during high volume times. And MSU police and public safety has a robust safety and security plan in place for all athletic events including football, and we will continue to implement this to keep our community safe."
Revenue sharing will occur between Student Life and Engagement, University Health and Wellbeing, and MSU Athletics. A portion of the net revenue will be dedicated toward health promotion.
READ MORE:
-A behind the scenes look at the implementation of alcohol sales at MSU
-Three things to know about the implementation of alcohol sales at MSU
-Locked On Spartans: Beer sales heading to Spartan Stadium?
-What MSU fans should expect for parking/tailgating for 2023 football games
All 15 public universities in Michigan were given legal authorization to apply for licenses to sell alcoholic beverages at intercollegiate athletic events when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 247 into law as Public Act No. 96 on July 18. Universities in the state are allowed up to five licenses each for sales of alcohol within the public areas of facilities that are customarily used for athletic events.
To date, both Michigan State and Michigan were able to provide alcohol to attendees at football games in suites, while Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan obtained special one-day licenses as non-profits that allowed sales at football and basketball games in prior years. Western Michigan had already been approved for the same one-day licenses for the Broncos' 2023 football season as well.
Based on the resolution passed by the board, MSU officials also intended to apply for either a Class C or a Tavern license to sell alcoholic beverages at the Breslin Student Events Center, Munn Ice Arena, and Old College Field, in addition to Spartan Stadium. Currently, Tavern licenses are listed on the Michigan.gov Alcohol Information Management System website as pending for Munn and the application for one as incomplete for Breslin.
Breslin is home to the men's and women's basketball teams along with the volleyball team once again for 2023 home matches. Munn hosts the men's ice hockey team. Meanwhile, Old College Field is the site of three different stadiums within its footprint, including DeMartin Stadium for men's and women's soccer, McLane Stadium for the baseball team, and Secchia Stadium for the softball team.
Under the new law, universities can begin sales of alcohol up to one hour before an event and must conclude sales at the end of the event. Patrons under the law are allowed up to a half-hour after the event's conclusion to finish consumption. Licenses will allow for the sale of alcohol up to 100 days per calendar year for college sporting events at up to five campus facilities, while other events at university facilities can be used for no more than five days per year.
The university also noted in the resolution passed by the trustees that revenue remaining after expenses will be shared between the athletic department, Student Life & Engagement, and University Health and Wellbeing with a portion dedicated to health promotion. Those revenues will first have to cover one-time costs and operating expenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Notably, MSU officials participated in the lobbying efforts to pass the bill into law allowing for alcohol sales. In testimony before the Michigan Senate, officials highlighted data from 11 other Big Ten universities that allow alcohol sales which shows incidents during athletic events that involved alcohol or attendees who overconsumed before the event were markedly down in numbers following the sale of alcohol at the events.
Of the Spartans' home games this fall that officials are aiming to have alcohol sales for, a visit from Michigan on Oct. 21 looms large with the game reportedly being targeted for a primetime start of 7:30 p.m. ET. Other home games besides the previously mentioned Washington matchup are awaiting start times with the exception of Maryland, which is slated for a 3:30 p.m kick for homecoming.
This article was originally published on Aug. 14, 2023. Updated on Aug. 16, 2023, Sept. 13, 2023, and Sept. 14, 2023.