EDITORIAL: Spoiling our fun

Undercover state policeUndercover state policeofficers dampened manyUndercover state policeofficers dampened manySpring Fling celebrations.Undercover state policeofficers dampened manySpring Fling celebrations.But crushing the vibrantUndercover state policeofficers dampened manySpring Fling celebrations.But crushing the vibrantsocial life here for one nightUndercover state policeofficers dampened manySpring Fling celebrations.But crushing the vibrantsocial life here for one nightwon't change Penn's 'partyUndercover state policeofficers dampened manySpring Fling celebrations.But crushing the vibrantsocial life here for one nightwon't change Penn's 'partyschool' reputation.Undercover state policeofficers dampened manySpring Fling celebrations.But crushing the vibrantsocial life here for one nightwon't change Penn's 'partyschool' reputation._____________________________ This year's Fling was different, though. Not because it didn't rain. And not because Taco Lou's was noticeably absent from the selection of vendors in the Quad. But because Thursday night parties were cancelled to avoid run-ins with police. And because fewer parties than usual were held Friday, and the block party on Sansom Street ended early Saturday. Why? The administration wanted it that way. After a year of attempting to enforce a Bring-Your-Own-Beer policy at fraternity parties -- and failing, primarily due to the laxity of individuals who were supposed to monitor these events -- administrators decided they would teach the student body a lesson. They invited the Pennsylvania Liquor Enforcement and Control Bureau to blanket campus with undercover agents, then spot-check any gathering where minors could have had access to alcohol. Now, if Fling were normally the scene of violent clashes between, say, intoxicated Princeton students and equally drunken Penn students, then the administration's decision might be more easily understood. The police would have been merely keeping the peace. If the standing and consistently enforced policy on campus were zero tolerance for underage drinking, then the administration's decision could have been rationalized. But the crowds in the Quad and at the concert on Hill Field were pretty mellow, as usual. And the numerous Penn Police officers always on hand ensured that students who had had too much to drink got the medical attention they needed. Yes, underage drinking is illegal. It can be physically dangerous, not to mention expensive and damaging to a student's reputation and personal record. However, Penn didn't get its reputation as "the party school of the Ivies" -- a positive selling point for prospective students -- because students here study all the time. The wide array of activities available on any given weekend -- most with alcohol-free components -- were just as important to Penn's 11th-place finish in the U.S. News and World Report survey last fall, and need to be retained.