Council to discuss alcohol ordinance

The Princeton Borough Council will reopen discussion on the proposed alcohol ordinance in its meeting next Tuesday.

However, Democratic councilman David Goldfarb said the majority of the council remains opposed to the ordinance — which would let local authorities issue citations for underage drinking on private property, including the eating clubs. He said it is almost certain the council will not take any action on the issue until January.

At the meeting, the council will hear opinions from the USG, University officials and local authorities.

In April, the Council met with representatives from the USG, the Princeton Borough Police Department, the Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance and the University administration to discuss underage drinking trends at Princeton.

The meeting followed an undercover investigation into serving minors at the Street conducted by Borough Police last November. The operation led to charges against four eating club officers in February.

While the undercover officers entered the clubs to investigate drug sales and use, what they found once inside seemed to contradict promises the clubs made to use wristbands and other means to curtail underage drinking.

At the April meeting, the Council decided to wait several months to see if the situation improved before taking up the ordinance.

Mayor elect Joe O'Neill and Goldfarb both said there has been no progress since the meeting.

"I think we're somewhat disappointed that the problem is no better and in fact may be a bit worse," he said.

"The incidence of public drunkenness have not declined and in fact our perception is that they have increased."

At the heart of the debate is the town's desire to protect students at the University as well as to reduce the harmful consequences of alcohol consumption on the community. Side effects have included public urination, vandalism and, in some cases, sexual assault.

While some think these goals coincide, many students and student groups disagree, saying if students don't feel comfortable drinking at the Street, they will drink in their rooms with hard liquor and possibly without others around to help if they are in trouble.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

O'Neill supports the second view, noting that if a constitutional amendment couldn't keep people from drinking then he has no reason to expect a local ordinance to accomplish that end.

However, Goldfarb disagrees, saying that beer at the Street is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

"At Princeton University, not that Princeton is unique, there is a climate where heavy drinking is expected every week on certain nights and for many people this is their social life," he said. "And that's a problem."

What troubles Goldfarb is not just that students seem to feel the need to drink heavily often, but also the apparent apathy students and the administration have for the situation.

"It's frustrating because I don't see the appropriate level of concern about the problem," of irresponsible alcohol consumption, Goldfarb said, "We need to find a common cause."