Going off Tap?

While new eating club presidents get comfortable with their new positions, the threat of an alcohol crackdown at the 'Street' may loom closer after incidents that occurred during initiations weekend prompted a resurgence of discussion at last week's Borough Council meeting.

At the Feb. 13 meeting, councilwoman Wendy Benchley suggested the council advance discussion about a possible ordinance that would permit police to cite underage drinkers on private property.

Benchley had said in October she was hesitant to support the stateapproved proposed ordinance brought to the council's attention in September. She said it was not a primary concern at the time. Benchley did not return phone calls yesterday.

Councilman Roger Martindell said the number and severity of recent incidents may have prompted certain council members to alter their opinions about the ordinance.

"It makes it harder for some of us who are not enthusiastic about the ordinance to oppose it when, in the middle of talks, something happens like this," he said.

Fifteen students were treated at McCosh Health Center, Princeton Medical Center and Capital Health System in Trenton for alcohol-related injuries that occurred Feb. 9 and 10.

"If you didn't have so many students ending up in the hospital, we wouldn't be considering this," councilman Ryan Lilienthal said.

Another option Borough Police have weighed to combat underage drinking at the 'Street' is to enlist underage students to enter eating clubs and obtain alcohol, thus giving police probable cause to enter. This strategy would not require approval by the Borough Council and could be enacted immediately, according to Borough Police Capt. Charles Davall.

Davall emphasized, however, that the deparment's primary objective is to acquaint the eating club presidents with the laws and penalties regarding alcohol.

"After we met with them a month ago, we were told they would be tightening up quite a bit," he said. "Things seemed pretty good and then came Bicker."

With that in mind, Davall and other police officials met yesterday — in a meeting that is held each year — with the new eating club presidents to outline drinking laws.

"The reason for the meeting is for them to tighten up on their alcohol policy," Davall said. "We're going in to get assurance that they'll do a good job in policing themselves."

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Martindell — the former Borough Council president — argued, however, that the University should more actively enforce the underage drinking laws off campus as well as on campus.

"Why should taxpayers deal with the University's inability to regulate student behavior?" he asked. "[The University] is responsible for [students'] behavior here in the community. It's not an acceptable view for the University to say simply because the students engage off campus, the University is not responsible."

In addition, the Inter-Club Council last night held its first official meeting with the new eating club presidents, ICC president Dan Winn '01 said. Winn, however, declined to comment on the ICC's reaction to a more expedient consideration of enforcement.

"The ICC does not have an official position on Borough members' voting policy," he said.