We thank Mr Jeremy Cheong Weng Kee for his letter (Alcohol-sale ban at SMU bar excessive; April 19).

At SMU, we take pride in our university being a unique city campus in downtown Singapore, located in the heart of the civic district and arts and heritage precinct, that also comprises a myriad food and beverage outlets.

The commercial offerings on our campus, which include food and beverage and retail outlets, contribute to the liveliness of our campus scene. However, operators must comply with conditions which are set in the interests of the SMU community.

The university's interim decision to stop alcohol sales at the affected outlet was not taken lightly. But alcohol sales at the outlet had to be stopped for the moment as our initial investigations gave rise to concerns on whether the conditions were being fully complied with.

Being an educational institution, SMU considers the safety and welfare of its students and staff to be of paramount importance, while balancing that with promoting vibrancy of student life on campus.

Christopher Chew
Director, Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing
Singapore Management University