Penn 'does the right Fling' in 1999

Penn Police and the LCE issued 16 citations. Although administrators had vowed to strictly enforce state and University liquor regulations during Spring Fling, only 16 students were cited by University Police and the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement agents over the weekend, according to University Police Chief Maureen Rush. But despite the small number of citations, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania treated six students for alcohol-related illnesses, Rush said. University Police officials will meet with officials from the Philadelphia Police Department and the LCE -- which the University has invited to campus during this and past Spring Flings -- today to officially confirm the number of citations issued over the weekend. Rush said that in general, she thought the weekend went smoothly. "There was not wholesale overt alcohol consumption observed by the police or the LCE," Rush said, adding that officers did not see any instances of other illegal drugs being used during the weekend. "Police, I think, were able to work well with the students. There were no major issues," Rush said. "For the most part it seemed, aside from the weather, that everything was cooperating for people to have a good time." University Police gave out eight of the 16 citations for underage drinking, with three on Thursday, four on Friday and one on Saturday. LCE agents also cited eight students on Friday night for underage drinking at Mad 4 Mex, but did not issue any citations during the rest of the weekend. The Philadelphia Police did not give out any citations, according to Rush. Although most of the weekend's alcohol-related incidents involved Penn students, Rush said that at least two of the hospitalizations were not of Penn students, though those hospitalized were in town for Fling. Of the eight University Police citations, most were issued on area streets, Rush said, except for at least two incidents in which students were cited for attempting to bring alcohol into University residences. No citations were given inside the Quadrangle, where many of the weekend's activities took place. According to Rush, there were several off-campus parties during the weekend but "for the most part the party participants and hosts were responsible and they kept the noise to an acceptable level." With the stricter alcohol policy -- part of which forbids alcohol to be served at most registered undergraduate parties -- in place during this Fling, Penn officials and students had been unsure of how the annual weekend would turn out. Many students said they observed a significantly greater police presence than in previous years, particularly in the blocks surrounding campus where many house parties were held. The number of Spring Fling citations has continued to drop over the past few years, with 19 citations last year, 25 in 1997 and 180 in 1996, the first year the University invited LCE agents on campus for the annual party weekend.