Students cited in U. dorms for having alcohol

Two students were cited separately by police for trying to bring alcohol into Penn dormitories. Most if not all University dormitories have been cracking down over the past two nights on students trying to bring alcohol into their rooms, with at least two students being cited for underage drinking Wednesday night and several more who are 21 being stopped from bringing more than two bottles of alcohol inside. And last night, there were reports of several parties being busted by police all over campus, including a block party on Baltimore Avenue and a Zeta Beta Tau event. The number of citations from those events last night was not immediately available. In preparation for Spring Fling, University Police cited at least two underage students attempting to bring alcohol into their dormitories in two separate incidents on Wednesday, according to official police records. There were reports of more last night, though only one was immediately confirmed by police. The state police's Liquor Control Enforcement agency -- which the University has invited to campus to help enforce state liquor laws during Spring Fling -- also cited six Penn students in Center City on Wednesday. University Police have invited Philadelphia Police and 15 to 25 LCE agents, as they have in previous years, to campus this weekend to help curb student alcohol abuse and underage drinking. The citations come three weeks after the University implemented a stricter version of its alcohol policy which forbids alcohol at all registered undergraduate events on campus and specifically singles out Fling as a time when all drinking rules and regulations will be strictly enforced. Guards in at least six University dormitories were conducting bag checks for alcohol yesterday, including the Quadrangle and the three high rises. And several students have reported police and security guards telling students who are of age that they may only bring in two bottles of alcohol into the dormitories at a time. In the first incident involving an underage student, a SpectaGuard stopped a male carrying a box containing alcohol into Harnwell House at about 5 p.m. and asked to see his identification. When the student admitted he was only 20 years old, the guard called University Police, who cited the student and confiscated the seven bottles of liquor he was carrying, police said. The student said he was surprised to have been cited because he knew of students who had carried alcohol in plain view into the high rises on previous occasions without being stopped. About two hours later, a Spectaguard stopped an 18-year-old male student attempting to bring two six-packs of beer into the Quad at about 7:30 p.m. The guard called University Police when the student failed to produce identification proving he was of age. The student received a citation for possessing alcohol as a minor. Also on Wednesday, LCE agents stopped six University students downtown at 11th and Cypress streets. The students, who were all underage, were cited for attempting to purchase alcohol. University officials have stressed that despite their desire to curb underage drinking, students' safety will come first and students should not hesitate to bring their friends to the hospital if necessary.