LCE agents did not cite fraternities

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control and Enforcement Bureau visited several fraternity houses holding parties over the weekend. But no houses received citations for alcohol violations, according to InterFraterity Council President Josh Gottheimer, a College junior. Tau Epsilon Phi President Jason Judd, a College sophomore, said LCE agents showed up at the fraternity's Thursday night party both at midnight and somewhere between 2:50 and 3:30 a.m., adding that University Police officers also came by the house at various points during the night. LCE agents asked Judd if he was charging admission or serving alcohol to minors, and Judd said he was not. The TEP party was finally broken up at 3:30 a.m. because of complaints of excessive noise -- not alcohol violations, Judd explained. "Everyone that I've spoken to had a terrific time," he said. "Fling provided so many opportunities that there was no way the LCE, regardless of what they did, could really shut us down." And two LCE agents visited Saturday's Sigma Phi Epsilon party at around 2:45 a.m. and asked fraternity members to lower the music volume, according to chapter President Tim Lash, a Wharton junior. Lash said tensions were high during Spring Fling because of the many "opportunities for something to go wrong." But Gottheimer, an Alpha Epsilon Pi brother, said the presence of LCE agents was "blown out of proportion" by an article on their activities in Friday's Daily Pennsylvanian. "The LCE was more interested in individual behavior and not house behavior," he said. "It's important for people to understand that fraternities were not raided -- a couple of individuals were cited." Gottheimer explained that last Thursday, he contacted presidents of fraternities holding Fling parties to "review the Greek alcohol management policy and precautionary measures." "Fortunately, people took more precautions and went on with their events," Gottheimer said. "People did have a good time and events did go on -- the overall effect was not a very daunting one." However, some students felt differently. College sophomore and TEP brother Mike Legum said LCE agents "had no business being at Penn." "LCE has never done anything like this, and I think it ruined the tradition at Penn," he said. "You couldn't do anything -- well, you could do stuff, but it made it a pain in the ass to do stuff." And College freshman Rachel Belkin questioned the effectiveness of the LCE agents. "It's Spring Fling and people are going to get drunk, and the LCE can break up any party they want and arrest anybody they want, and it's not going to stop the drinking," she said. "Aren't there better things to do in West Philadelphia?"

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