Alcohol policy shifts party scene

Students said the crackdown on drinking on campus resulted in more off-campus house parties. Two words overshadowed Spring Fling this year just like the cloudy gray sky that hung above the Quadrangle: alcohol policy. Many students noted that rather than stopping underage drinking, tighter alcohol restrictions pushed the traditional weekend of drunken revelry off campus into more secretive and unsafe locations. Events of the weekend sent six students to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for alcohol-related illnesses and 16 students received citations for liquor law violations. Outgoing Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Bill Conway, a Wharton junior and a member of the provost-appointed alcohol task force, said, "I think that Fling was more unsafe this year than last." Starting on Wednesday night, security guards checked all bags and packages for alcohol at each of the 12 University college houses -- a Fling weekend procedure that has been in place for several years. And an additional measure limited the amount of alcohol that students who are of legal age could bring into the residences -- to two six-packs of beer or one bottle of spirits. Students were not notified of the change until the weekend. The only restriction on alcohol in the residency agreement that all students are required to sign to live on campus is that legal-age students cannot bring in kegs of beer. But it also notes that the University can amend the agreement at any time. While the task force -- composed of seven faculty members and 14 students -- is developing a new alcohol policy, the committee decided not to implement a new policy before Fling. But students on the committee charged that the various unregulated alcohol-related events this weekend jeopardized student safety. Due to the ban, fraternities could not hold the large on-campus parties that are a hallmark of Fling. Although their on-campus houses were off limits, fraternities still held parties at off-campus locations. One fraternity brother acknowledged that the "majority of fraternity brothers had parties elsewhere, outside of [on-campus] houses. But students noted that smaller unofficial events lack the safety and security restrictions that apply to registered fraternity parties. InterFraternity Council Executive Vice President and College junior Andrew Exum, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said the events have "moved away from large but controlled to small but unregulated." Conway noted that because parties this year were mostly small off-campus events, there were "more unsafe and unregulated conditions." Students also pointed out that fewer parties were held this year in part because of a heightened police presence throughout the weekend. University Police Chief Maureen Rush said that even though there were fewer citations this year than in the past, police officers were present throughout the weekend checking for noisy or unruly gatherings. Alpha Chi Rho President Adam Tritt, an Engineering senior, said this year there was "definitely less going on," adding that people were "wandering around streets looking for a party that wasn't broken up." Not only did students face stricter policy enforcement throughout the weekend but Penn officials also employed various measures to combat alcohol abuse and use among students who live on campus. Task force members said that they were aware that bag checks would be utilized, but according to Tangible Change Committee Chairperson and College senior Samara Barend, they were not told about the specific rules for the residents who are of legal age. At least four students were cited by the police attempting to smuggle alcohol into the residences. Events over the weekend -- sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life -- included a Spring Fling Carnival in Hamilton Village and free tickets to The Matrix and The Mod Squad at Cinemagic on Saturday night. And the Tangible Change Committee sponsored a barbeque on College Green from midnight to 2 a.m. on Saturday morning and a pancake breakfast from midnight to 3 a.m. on Sunday. Barend said that the events were "very successful," adding that approximately 2,500 people attended the barbeque and at least 1,000 attended the pancake breakfast. But Barend added that while this programming "complements" the other events that occur during Fling, it should not replace registered undergraduate parties.

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