The University of Colorado is considering changing its campus alcohol policy to suspend students after two alcohol violations instead of three, a school official said Tuesday.

The university also is considering notifying students' parents after one violation, instead of two, and may ask incoming students to take an online alcohol awareness course before they get to Boulder, said Robert Maust, chair of the Standing Committee on Substance Abuse at CU.

Maust spoke Tuesday to the independent panel investigating allegations CU's football program used sex and alcohol as recruiting tools and that seven women were sexually assaulted by football players or recruits since 1997.

Three of the women filed federal lawsuits saying they were raped during or immediately after an off-campus party Dec. 7, 2001, attended by football players and recruits who attended.

No sex assault charges have been filed.

Maust said the proposals to toughen alcohol rules were unrelated to the allegations but did not say what prompted the changes. He said the proposals are part of an annual review of campus alcohol policies, and a final decision is expected by the end of the month.

The commission, whose members were appointed by the CU Board of Regents, hopes to present its findings and recommendations by April 30.

The recruiting scandal also prompted a state criminal inquiry, a congressional hearing and an NCAA task force. CU also hired a special assistant to report to the president and chancellor on the culture of the athletic department.

The panel voted Tuesday to look into whether it could offer confidentiality to people who wish to give information. Panel meetings now are all public.

Gov. Bill Owens has said the Legislature should grant the panel subpoena power, but House Speaker Lola Spradley said Tuesday she doesn't understand why the panel needs it.

Spradley, R-Beulah, said she wants to know what records the panel would keep and who would investigate if the panel is granted subpoena power and finds evidence of a crime.

The university in the last month has made sweeping changes for recruits' visits, including an 11 p.m. curfew, more adult supervision, and moving most visits to the offseason when players and coaches can give them more attention.

Recruits also are not allowed to go to bars, strip clubs or off-campus parties.

Maust said he was asked to speak to the whole football team this year on alcohol policies, instead of only freshman athletes.

He said he suspects alcohol had a profound impact on the allegations surrounding CU.

"If the question is, is alcohol a factor when people find themselves in high-risk situations, the answer is almost 100 percent," Maust told reporters.

The number of liquor establishments has grown four times faster than the Boulder population since 1967, Maust said.

"Ladies nights" sometimes make it possible for women to drink free almost any night of the week, and beer is frequently cheaper than bottled water, Maust said.

About 50 to 60 percent of CU students have done some binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks at a time within the past two weeks, and about 36 to 40 percent of CU students did some binge drinking in high school, he said.

Possible future recruits and their coaches say that the sexual assault scandal at CU should make the school's program stronger because of the intense scrutiny it's under.

Patrick Farrell -- a star defensive lineman and fullback for a Cincinnati high school -- said he'd likely accept a scholarship if offered, and that everything he saw during a CU summer football camp last year was good.

"I actually think, and I was talking to my dad about this, that Colorado is going to get a little stronger because of this," Farrell said. "I think stuff like that probably happens everywhere, it's just not as visible right now."

News of the sex scandal took offensive lineman Devin Head of Corona, Calif., by surprise. He said the scandal has made him look at things a little more, but that changes in the recruiting process would have no bearing on whether he chooses Colorado.

"That's not really what's important about going to a college anyway," Head said. "In my eyes, the most important pieces are the program there and the academics at the school. I'm still planning on taking a trip eventually."

Coach M.G. Shapiro at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Mich., said one of his star players, fullback Ian Brown, has Colorado on a long list of schools he is considering. Shapiro expressed no worries in sending him to the Buffs.

"I've got to be honest with you," Shapiro said, "I think Colorado is probably being made to be the scapegoat for things that are going on everywhere at every school and university. I don't condone anything that's going on at Colorado, but I don't believe the situation they are having right now is reflective of the whole program.

"That's how I look at it. And Ian's a smart kid. If he goes out there and sees a bad situation, I don't think he would ever jeopardize his career or his character to something like that."

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University of Colorado