The University of Nebraska Board of Regents lifted the prohibition on alcohol sales at Husker athletic events Friday.
Rescinding the 1999 policy, as regents did on a 7-0 vote, doesn't immediately open the taps to pouring beer at Memorial Stadium, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Devaney Sports Center or Haymarket Park.
Instead, stripping the old policy allows for NU to be consistent in how it approaches the sale of alcohol across its campuses, President Ted Carter told regents Friday.
Over the past two decades, NU applied its ban on alcohol sales at sporting events in a piecemeal way, allowing alcohol sales at Nebraska-Omaha games and other places, but not at Husker events.
Carter was clear that rescinding the policy will prompt no immediate, wide-ranging change. "There will be no beer at football games this fall," he said. Any plans to begin beer sales at a venue will be brought to the board for approval.
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That provision wasn't included in the policy change adopted by the board. Carter said he would outline the process next week in an executive memorandum to campus chancellors.
"As long as I'm president of the university system, we will never bring alcohol to an athletic event before first bringing it to this body," he pledged.
Regents said including the board in the process made them more comfortable in rescinding the longtime ban.
Regents did give the OK for Nebraska to sell beer when it hosts the Big Ten Conference Wrestling Championships next month at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
A majority of Big Ten schools — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers — sell alcohol at events, and beer sales are expanding at college stadiums and arenas nationwide.
Beer flows at bowl games, at NCAA championship events and Big Ten tournaments.
But at Nebraska, previous Husker athletic directors have been steadfast in their opposition to selling alcohol at events, even as more and more college venues have started offering the amenity to fans, including at the Big Ten Baseball Tournament and College World Series in Omaha.
Tom Osborne, a former NU football coach and athletic director, once again voiced concern about the proposal last week, saying it would change the environment for athletes and fans.
His successors — Shawn Eichorst and later Bill Moos — also opposed beer sales at events.
Carter said he spoke to Osborne about the policy change, explaining the decision to move forward ultimately relied upon creating consistency across the NU system.
The university will take time to solicit input from fans and explore how beer sales at Nebraska events can be done safely, Carter added. Any decision to start selling alcohol would be made based on a variety of factors — not just adding a revenue stream, which he said would be minimal.
"There's no rush to this," he said.
UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green said the university has discussed what alcohol sales at Husker events would look like with the City of Lincoln for years, but echoed Carter, saying there were no immediate plans to make any changes.
Green said the university would continue to engage with city leaders and businesses near campus as it continues to study the option of selling alcohol at Husker events.
Trev Alberts, who was hired to lead the Husker athletic department last year and who previously worked at Nebraska-Omaha, said selling alcohol at college events "must be considered one thing: a fan amenity."
Opening the taps at Pinnacle Bank Arena for Big Ten wrestling is an easy option, as the arena is fully equipped and routinely sells beer at concerts and other events. Haymarket Park already serves beer for Lincoln Saltdogs games.
Memorial Stadium, however, would need a retrofit of sorts to make beer sales possible to 90,000 fans attending a football game.
And beyond the logistical issues, several agreements need to be hammered out before any kegs are tapped or bottles uncorked for events beyond the Big Ten wrestling meet, Lincoln Regent Tim Clare said.
"There's a lot of issues that have not even been broached yet," said Clare, who also sits on the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency responsible for managing Pinnacle Bank Arena.
"Who holds the liquor license? What are the splits (in revenue)? How are you going to roll it out?" Clare added. "There's a huge, huge number of issues that need to be resolved before you can even sell a beer."
Ultimately, the Board of Regents will still have a say on the matter.
At Friday's meeting, Chris Wagner, executive director of Project Extra Mile, an organization that works to reduce "alcohol-related harms," urged the board to postpone the decision to repeal the prohibition of alcohol sales.
Wagner said introducing alcohol to Husker events would result in more binge drinking, underage drinking, and alcohol-related incidents after the game, Wagner said, adding Nebraska already ranks high in those categories.
"I would urge you to keep these policies in place, because they really do work," Wagner told the board.
No one spoke in support of the measure, but it was backed by UNL Student Regent Batool Ibrahim, who supported the policy change at a meeting of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska earlier this week.
Clare said he believes NU could direct some of the proceeds from beer sales into programs aimed at curbing binge drinking in Nebraska.
"This gives us the opportunity to control it," he said. "That’s what I’m in favor of."