Reed says Borough to focus on alcohol distribution to minors

Marking a major change in the Borough's approach to curbing underage drinking at the 'Street,' Borough officials have shifted the focus of their enforcement efforts from the consumption of alcohol by minors to its distribution, Mayor Marvin Reed said.

The angle now is to enhance enforcement of laws already on the books rather than adopting a new ordinance, Borough Council members said. Instead of pursuing underage drinkers themselves, the Borough will target people who serve alcohol to minors.

An alcohol ordinance that concerns underage drinking on private property has been a contentious issue in town-gown affairs during the past year. The ordinance would permit police to cite underage drinkers on private property if officers were there responding to another complaint.

"I can't say [council members] have completely thrown off the idea, but I think they have shifted to a different focus," Reed said. "We're not convinced that that was going to do much except create a lot of hassle."

One reason the Borough has reconsidered its approach is an incident that occurred at an eating club last weekend. At 5 a.m. Saturday, a University student fell out of the second-story window of Cloister Inn.

It was unclear whether intoxication caused her to fall, but police did smell alcohol on her breath, Borough Police Capt. Anthony Federico said.

Cloister president Brian Romanzo '02 said alcohol was not a factor.

"We were not on tap. There were no beers being served. And alcohol was not involved," he said. "She has a family history of sleepwalking."

However, Reed said he thinks alcohol was involved and that binge drinking at the clubs may cause a University student to die.

"It's an indication that continued over-indulgence at club parties is taking us one step closer to a fatality," he said in an e-mail to Borough and University officials.

Because of this concern, council members have questioned the effectiveness of the ordinance. If such an ordinance were in place, the student may not have cooperated with rescuers for fear of receiving penalties, Reed said.

He said he did not know how the police would better enforce the law that forbids serving minors.

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"Without more specifics, I don't know what this means," USG president Joe Kochan '02 said. "But I certainly wouldn't support anything that infringes on the rights of the private clubs."

Eating club presidents would not comment on the shifted focus. Inter-Club Council adviser Alice Teti '00 said the clubs have tried to control who gets served by checking identification and distributing wristbands at the door to students over 21 year of age.

Though Reed has said there is an altered approach to the problem, the ordinance remains a possibility, Councilman Roger Martindell said. The focus hasn't shifted but expanded, he said.

"There is a willingness to consider alternative measures to that proposed by the county prosecutor," he added.

Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel Giaquinto was the first official to propose the ordinance be explored by the Borough Council. He has supported the approval of similar ordinances in nearby Lawrence and Ewing townships.

Though the Borough's public safety committee recommended council discussion of the ordinance last spring, the council has never discussed it formally.

The public safety committee may discuss it again before it reaches the council to receive more input from eating club officers and University administrators, Reed said.

In addition, the American Whig-Cliosophic Society will hold a panel discussion on the underage drinking ordinance Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. in the Whig Hall Senate Chamber.

Borough Council candidate Steven Abt '04, Borough Police Chief Charles Davall, ICC president Cindy Drakeman '02, Martindell and Reed have said they will participate, said Jon Ophardt '03, Whig-Clio's president.

"I think it's going to be the first time that all the key people are going to be together and discussing it in a forum that people are going to come to," Drakeman said. "I hope it will get us talking about the ordinance and other options and make people more aware of what's happening."