Borough to refocus alcohol initiatives

Princeton Borough officials said they are looking to the University to take the lead in combating student drinking on campus and at the Prospect Avenue eating clubs, following a recent rise in alcohol-related incidents.

"When the clubs started taking measures to combat drinking, the result was more drinking in the dormitories," Borough Mayor Marvin Reed said. "Is the University now going to look the other way because students are now buying and serving alcohol in their private rooms?"

University officials, however, said binge drinking has not risen noticeably.

"The percentage of binge drinkers on campus hasn't changed dramatically," said Janet Dickerson, vice president for campus life. "But there have been more alternatives provided for those non-drinkers with things like Frist [Campus Center] and residential college trips."

Since June 2000, the Borough Council has informally discussed an alcohol ordinance that would extend the N.J. state law to allow police to cite offenders on private property. The current law only permits officers to cite violators on public property.

Borough Councilman Roger Martindell said the council is not pushing for the ordinance.

"Currently, there is no significant interest to adopt the proposed alcohol ordinance," he said. "We are now using it as a vehicle to usher the University community and administration to take a more active role and responsibility than they are now."

The Borough is particularly concerned with drinking on the 'Street' and in the eating clubs, officials said. Past proposals and several new ideas were designed with the clubs specifically in mind.

"Any effort that makes drinking safer on campus is good for the community," said Dan Hantman '03, the Inter-Club Council chair.

Hantman declined any further comment.

The Borough hopes to bring together members of the University community, local politicians and interested municipal agencies to discuss other remedies to the problem aside from punitive measures.

Public hearings are tentatively scheduled for this fall to discuss the problems with excessive drinking and the effectiveness of current measures. The alcohol ordinance has not been abandoned, Borough officials said, adding that it has been put aside for now to discuss a new approach.

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Binge drinking, however, is something that plagues college campuses nationwide. A recent study, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that 44 percent of U.S. college students had engaged in binge drinking in the past two weeks. Some institutions had as much as 70 percent of students who reported binge drinking.

"We are well aware that binge drinking is not just a local problem but a national problem," Borough Councilman David Goldfarb said. "By taking another look at it, we are drawing attention to it, which is a good place to start."

The University has taken various measures to reduce drinking on campus. These include the Trustee Initiative on Alcohol Abuse in 1999 and the Alumni Council plan to combat drinking during Reunions.

Last year, Dickerson spearheaded the Alcohol Coalition, which has created four committees to devise more ways to continue the effort of anti-alcohol activities and create new ones.

Reed has participated in discussions held by the Alcohol Initiative Committee in the past few months and looks forward to seeing suggested changes implemented.

"The Borough Police have been doing their part to uphold state statutes and Borough laws in public areas," Reed said. "What we are interested in now is if the University administration and campus security are going to do the same on campus."

In October 2001, the Whig-Cliosophic Society sponsored a forum during which participants suggested the eating clubs were getting blamed for a problem that begins before students even get to the 'Street.'

Students consume the most alcohol in their dormitory rooms before they go to the 'Street,' they said.

Often, the 'Street' does not open until 11:30 p.m. or later, and students usually seek other activities to pass the time until they go out. While some students do homework or laundry, others look for pre-parties where the drinking begins.

The Borough has decided not to renew discussion until the fall to allow for student input.