STUDENTS boarding at Notre Dame University could soon be allowed to drink alcohol at its Fremantle campus after a well-received trial.

Held this semester the trial permitted drinking in communal areas between 6-9pm on Friday and Saturday nights. Drinking games and storing alcohol in bedrooms were still banned.

The Notre Dame Student Association successfully lobbied for the trial.

Association residences officer Grace Cuddihy said they were sick of watching students getting blotto in Fremantle.

“[Students were] drinking at the Round House, drinking on the street,” she said. “It wasn’t safe.”

Ms Cuddihy said the policy was commonplace at other WA unis and showed Notre Dame was now ready to “treat our students as adults”.

Julia Stafford, a researcher at the WA Public Health Advocacy Institute, said it was important that boozers were mindful of other students’ religions and cultures when drinking in communal areas.

“Alcohol is risky not just for the individual and the people around them; there are risks to universities,” she said.

by KATE JONES