U. cracking down on alcohol abuse

Officials are temporarily prohibiting undergraduate parties from serving alcohol and plan to strictly enforce policies. Officials are temporarily prohibiting undergraduate parties from serving alcohol and plan to strictly enforce policies.The suspension will remain in effect while officials and students enter discussions. Four days following the alcohol-related death of a Penn alumnus at a closed fraternity event, the University announced that it is suspending indefinitely the policy allowing alcohol to be served at registered undergraduate parties. Penn President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi released the policy in an open letter along with several other measures designed to crack down on alcohol abuse. The other steps announced by officials include the cancellation of the post-Spring Fling block party on Sansom Street; increased police enforcement at Fling and Skimmer; a request for the cooperation of area bars, restaurants and alcohol suppliers regarding Penn's alcohol policies; and a promise to sanction those who breach the alcohol and drug regulations. The steps put into place yesterday prohibit any registered undergraduate party -- including on- and off-campus fraternity parties, downtown sorority parties, senior class screamers and any other registered function held at bars or restaurants that serve alcohol -- from serving alcohol, effective immediately. Officials said the suspension will be in effect while administrators consult with students in an effort to develop effective means of combatting alcohol abuse. Student leaders and top Penn officials will begin meeting to discuss possible options as early as today. Barchi said the involvement of students -- including members of the Undergraduate Assembly and Greek umbrella organizations -- will be key to discussions. He added that the overall effectiveness of any policy depends on student attitudes toward alcohol abuse rather than on rules and regulations. Barchi noted that the immediate administrative goal is not to create a new alcohol policy but instead to ensure that the existing policy is being effectively enforced. "Clearly the rules, as they are being interpreted now, aren't doing the job," Barchi said. In the future, Barchi noted, students will be aware that Penn is "a community committed to having no tolerance of alcohol abuse on campus." And he stressed that the University's steps "are not intended to be punitive" against the Greek system. Drug and Alcohol Resource Team Advisor Kate Ward-Gaus described the alcohol ban as a "heavy-duty external control" by the administration against student alcohol abuse but added that in light of recent events, the University had to take action. "A death is a big deal," Ward-Gaus said. Michael Tobin, a FIJI brother who graduated in 1994, was found dead early Sunday morning at the bottom of an outdoor stairwell behind the FIJI house. Police say Tobin had a blood alcohol content of at least .20 -- twice the legal limit -- at the time of his death. Last weekend also saw the hospitalization of a female freshman for an alcohol-related illness and state police raids of two downtown sorority parties hosted by Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi. "We cannot allow alcohol abuse to threaten the life and health of our students, our friends and our colleagues," Barchi said, adding that administrative action must be taken because "we cannot tolerate alcohol abuse in our community." In addition to the suspension of alcohol-serving privileges at all registered undergraduate parties, administrators said they are increasing safety and security measures in an effort to prevent alcohol-related incidents at Skimmer on April 10 and Spring Fling on April 16 and 17. The administration's letter noted that the University will support the presence of the Penn Division of Public Safety and state Liquor Control Enforcement agents at Fling, as well as the Philadelphia Police at Skimmer. Officials also declared that they will notify local bars, restaurants and alcohol suppliers about the University's alcohol and drug policy -- which prohibits the possession or consumption of alcohol by minors and the selling of alcohol to minors on University property or at a University event -- and seek their cooperation in enforcing it. Alcohol policy offenders can face both state and University sanctions. University sanctions range from mandatory educational programs to expulsion from school, while state sanctions include fines and the suspension of driving privileges. Barchi said that as the administration evaluates the alcohol policy, it will also review the recommendations made last fall by a special committee charged by Rodin to evaluate binge drinking at Penn. While University administrators have adopted several initiatives like the creation of more alcohol education and non-alcoholic social programming to combat alcohol abuse, they have not yet hired the recommended alcohol programming coordinator to oversee Penn's academic, disciplinary and medical responses to students with drinking problems. Additionally, officials have not implemented an initiative to notify parents about alcohol-related incidents, but Barchi said that a committee reviewing the recommendation -- chaired by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman -- will "accelerate" its efforts to reach a decision. Beeman said he has promised to present recommendations on the parental notification issue to the provost by the end of the academic year. Barchi stressed that the administration would actively look at the committee's recommendations to move more aggressively in fulfilling them. "We will be more active on following these steps," he noted.

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