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Partying downtown poses many safety risks The University's new alcohol policy for Greeks is part of a national trend toward greater restrictions on campus drinking. But the plan may have backfired -- off-campus drinking at the University seems to be more popular than ever. Recently at the University of Virginia, which also has a new alcohol policy, side effects of tight drinking restrictions gained national attention. After an off-campus Pi Kappa Phi fraternity rush party, a car accident left the event chairperson dead and the chapter vice president charged with driving under the influence. According to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Acting Director Scott Reikofski, off-campus drinking is a cause for concern here as well. "We are already seeing it as a problem," he said. He added that the University's urban location makes off-campus drinking especially dangerous. "There is an inherent danger in off-campus drinking," he said. "A lot of students are not particularly street smart." Besides the danger of drunk driving, there is also the issue of inebriated students becoming glaring targets for theft and other crimes. According to InterFraternity Council President Dave Treat, it is hard to measure whether off-campus drinking has grown in popularity in response to the "Bring Your Own Beer" policy, which the Greek Alumni Council voted to strictly enforce last semester. "I think there has always been a fascination with downtown," he said, explaining, though, that this has been balanced by a desire to have parties in the chapters' own homes. Treat, a College senior, added that the policy was designed with the intention of keeping events on campus. "Our concern was to create an alcohol policy that would reduce chapter liability but maintain a vibrant social life on campus," he said. Treat added that holding events off campus is not only potentially dangerous, but may hurt the social life on campus. "I hope [people] will see the detrimental side of this," he said. Reikofski said he advises chapters to abide by both University and chapter guidelines as well as state laws when holding any sort of function. He pointed out that chapters are responsible for incidents related to their parties -- even if the event is not held at their official house. This could pose a potential problem for chapters in light of the attention the state Liquor Control Enforcement agency has paid to the University this year, Reikofski said. There were a number of LCE raids on and near campus last semester. Reikofski said many problems of off-campus parties can be solved if the hosts simply use common sense. "Watching out for the safety of your guests is an important part of being a host," he said. He encourages hosts to arrange for car pools, and to even go to such measures as alerting police that students might be walking in a given area at a certain time. Treat agreed that it is important to be a responsible host. "To be as safe and smart as possible, they should provide transportation," he said, as well as properly check identification. Reikofski said OFSA is prepared to assist chapters by providing feedback on their risk management policies to avoid problems in the future. According to Panhellenic Council President and Wharton senior Lissette Calderon, sororities are bound by numerous rules set by national chapters, Panhel and OFSA. Among the rules is that sororities are not allowed to have alcohol at all within their houses. "It is a strictly enforced and abided-by rule," she said. Because of this fact, Calderon said off-campus functions can be positive events provided that sororities follow the rules and behave responsibly. She added that there have been no violations of the policy reported to Panhel in recent years. Calderon does not blame off-campus drinking on the alcohol policy. "BYOB is not intended to push students off campus," she said. "It is to increase awareness of responsible drinking." Reikofski said the University's size and location force it to deal with drinking problems. "I think it will always be an issue," he said.

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