On the surface, the suggestion from North Idaho College trustees Mic Armon and Christie Wood to relax the school’s alcohol policy seems harmless.

What would be wrong with community groups serving wine as part of a fundraiser on campus? After all, individuals attracted to an event like an EXCEL Foundation fundraiser prefer Barry Manilow and jazz to rap and grunge and aren’t likely to trash the campus should they imbibe too much.

Unfortunately, no one can predict where a looser alcohol policy will lead. It could be that a policy change will play out as advertised and community groups will seize on the chance to use the college for wine-and-cheese events. It could be that NIC students who are of drinking age will press to serve alcohol at their own campus events. It could be that some unforeseen tragedy will occur as a result of alcohol being sanctioned on campus. It’s an unpredictable drug.

Rather than open Pandora’s box and send mixed signals to NIC students, trustees should continue their total alcohol ban. There’s nothing wrong with consumption of alcohol in moderation. Or with serving alcohol at fundraisers at The Coeur d’Alene resort or the Coeur d’Alene Inn. School campuses are different, however. At elementary and high school levels, school officials don’t tolerate drugs, alcohol or weapons. At the college level, they struggle to control chemical dependency and alcohol abuse among students. A complete NIC ban reinforces the message to students that alcohol can be hazardous.

Obviously, President Michael Burke was worried about unintended consequences of the proposed policy change when he told trustees Wednesday: “What we do, we need to do carefully and thoughtfully. We won’t be able to put the genie back in the bottle.”

Interim Vice President Paul Olscamp agreed. He noted he’d learned from working at seven universities that allowing alcohol on campus caused “too much trouble,” including discipline problems, property damage, vandalism and assault.

NIC trustees need look no further than a January 2003 meeting of the Coeur d’Alene Parks and Recreation Commission to see how Coeur d’Alene residents feel about permitting alcohol in their public places.

The issue then was somewhat similar to the one they’re studying now. Chris Copstead, a councilman at the time, had asked the city to consider lifting an alcohol ban at city parks to provide an outdoor venue for class reunions and community events. Copstead argued that the city could generate additional revenue by opening its Jewett House on Lake Coeur d’Alene and the parks to occasional alcohol consumption. The idea was overwhelmingly opposed by Coeur d’Alene residents at the meeting and quickly dropped.

Coeur d’Alene has a checkered history in dealing with alcohol consumption in public places.

A community function at NIC where alcohol was served probably wouldn’t lead to the riots experienced during the hydroplane races of the mid-1960s, or the near downtown riot of the 1996 Fourth of July celebration, or the 1999 Car d’Lane riot. But no one can guarantee that it won’t cause other unforeseen problems.