EDITORIAL: An unnecessary LCE invitation

Administrators should not have asked the LCE to monitor this year's Spring Fling. We don't mean to suggest that the LCE is wrong to cite students for underage drinking; it's against the law, and it's the agency's job to prevent it. The University can't -- and shouldn't -- keep the LCE away from campus if agents want to show up. Nor do we think the University should turn a blind eye to the debauchery that characterizes Fling. It's a good idea to police parties and make sure things don't get too rowdy -- as anyone who remembers the riot on Sansom Street two years ago can probably attest. But keeping Fling orderly is one thing; specifically inviting undercover LCE agents to investigate parties is quite different. Administrators have gone way beyond what is necessary. Though LCE Supervisor Gary Kardisco said he and his agents don't want "to rain on anyone's parade," the University seems to have done just that. Are students really likely to drink less because they know the LCE is on campus? They may be stealthier in choosing where and how they imbibe, but for many undergraduates, even the threat of a $300 fine won't be enough to keep them from having that one extra beer this weekend. We don't think the LCE presence will keep undergraduates safe -- instead, it may just make them angry. Nonetheless, we hope students stay healthy, even while enjoying themselves this weekend and trying to ignore the cold, rainy weather. Even if administrators hadn't invited the LCE, there's no reason to land yourself in the hospital because you throw caution to the winds. But it used to be that officials wrote Fling off as the one weekend of the year when almost every undergraduate let loose. University Police shut down parties, but only when they got too loud too late at night. Now, it seems, the only thing out of hand is administrators' zealotry to crack down on parties.