U. kills plan to fund FUBAR parties

A proposal for University-sponsored, non-alcoholic parties at FUBAR -- advanced by club owner Jim Millspaugh and InterFraternity Council President David Treat -- is now being considered by a sub-group of the University's Drug and Alcohol Task Force. But at a meeting last week, members of the task force raised substantial concerns about the proposal, according to Ron Jasner, assistant director of risk management at the University, causing Treat to revise his original stance on the project. The task force's main concern is the nightclub's name, according to Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel, who chairs the task force. FUBAR, located at 38th and Chestnuts streets, is an acronym that supposedly stands for "Fucked-Up Beyond All Recognition." Millspaugh said the name was chosen as part of a "marketing technique." "It's a little bit difficult for [Millspaugh] to urge us to sponsor activities at that establishment that are to be non-alcoholic in light of the name," Jasner said. "It just doesn't lend a lot of credibility." Treat, who worked at FUBAR until Monday night, said he brought Millspaugh to the meeting because he felt FUBAR presented an opportunity to have more substance-free programming close to campus. "I had been excited about having a new place on campus to utilize, and I helped present it as an option," Treat said. However, reactions of other task force members and conversations with some friends helped change Treat's mind about the proposal, he said. "I don't think it's feasible or a good idea anymore," Treat explained. "I think it would be wrong to associate non-alcoholic programming with a venue that for the other six days of the week is centered around the use of alcohol." But Wharton senior Jon Brightbill, president of the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team, contends that Treat's turnabout has another motivation. Brightbill said a fraternity brother told him that Treat and other IFC brothers were receiving perks -- such as FUBAR gold cards entitling them to front-line position at the door, and coupons for free food from Abner's -- in exchange for promoting the club to the University community. Treat called the cards a "promotional idea." He added that leaders of student groups at a number of local campuses had received the cards because Millspaugh thought they would then encourage their members to patronize the facility. Millspaugh gave the same explanation when asked about the gold cards, which he said are available to anyone who regularly visits the club and has proper identification. "I don't think that anybody should be held accountable for trying to better their business," he said. "I elected to be here because I wanted to promote myself to the Penn and Drexel [University] crowds." Millspaugh added that the IFC is not receiving special treatment from the club in order to thank Treat for promoting the non-alcoholic party proposal to the task force. Accusations to that effect "outrage me," the club owner said. "I don't pay anybody to do anything other than their job." Neither Millspaugh nor Cassel were aware that Treat had changed his position on using FUBAR as a location for non-alcoholic parties. "If Dave Treat, who actually brought this to our attention, is no longer supporting it, I feel the task force would not be in a position to support it either," she said. The task force's next meeting is November 1. Cassel said the subgroup looking at the FUBAR proposal should have a preliminary report or recommendation at that time.

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