As soon as this fall, bowlers at the Kansas Union’s Jaybowl may be able to down a beer after rolling a strike.

But a top Kansas University official vowed this week that the proposal to allow alcohol sales on campus for the first time since 1998 would not be taken lightly.

“We really have to send the message to students that the only use of alcohol is responsible use,” said David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor. “This is life or death. Students do die from irresponsible use of alcohol.”

Steve Munch, former student body president, and a group of student senators drafted a petition last school year to allow the sale of beer with 3.2 percent alcohol content to be sold in the first floor of the Kansas Union, including the Jaybowl bowling alley and Hawk’s Nest gathering area.

The idea was endorsed by Student Senate and the Memorial Corporation Board, which governs student unions. It has been forwarded to the Provost’s Office.

Shulenburger said he planned to have discussions with students and representatives of the Office of Student Success before making a final decision, which could come in time for the fall semester. The union would need to guarantee that students wouldn’t become intoxicated on campus, or that students younger than 21 wouldn’t be served alcohol.

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“We certainly won’t operate a bar on campus,” Shulenburger said. “If it is approved, it will be because we can guarantee a law-abiding atmosphere.”

Concerns about that atmosphere promoted KU administrators to shut down the union’s beer taps seven years ago. The decision was the result of a recommendation by a task force of city, KU and Haskell Indian Nations University representatives convened in the wake of the death of Lisa Rosel.

Rosel, a KU student, was hit and killed by a car driven by another KU student, Matt Vestal, as she walked in the 1400 block of Tennessee. Both Rosel and Vestal were intoxicated, police said.

Nick Sterner, KU’s current student body president, said he thought serving beer in the union could help students learn about responsible alcohol use.

“This won’t be a place for students to go and get drunk,” he said. “It will be a place for students to have a drink with other students downstairs.

“I think the way we presented it, the argument makes sense. We can promote responsible drinking. We can promote a healthy and safe atmosphere at the union.”

David Mucci, director of student unions, said he thought union staff would be able to enforce laws and regulations to prevent problems with beer consumption.

He said he hoped the decision could be made for the beginning of the fall semester, to allow the union to train new staff members about alcohol policies.

“We want to create community in a place, so we can have people all together and not segregate by age,” he said.

But he said he realized the choice was a major policy decision for the university.

“It’s about whether we’ve sent the right message of responsible alcohol use and whether that reinforces that or undermines that,” he said.

Shulenburger agreed. He said that would be a guiding principle in the university’s decision of whether to approve the request.

“If we’re in a position where it appears the university is encouraging the use of alcohol,” he said, “it would do a great disservice to the university and to our students.”