Borough warns more charges may be coming

Charges brought against the president of the Cap and Gown Club earlier this week for serving alcohol to a minor may only be a precursor of tough times for Prospect Avenue's eating clubs. Next Tuesday the Borough council will reexamine a proposed alcohol ordinance.

Since last April, when the Borough Council tabled the alcohol ordinance, the eating clubs have been under pressure to provide a safer environment for minors.

Meetings between University students and administrators as well as borough officials have culminated in several changes — hiring professional security, handing out wristbands to identify legal drinkers and providing alternative nonalcoholic beverages.

And, at the end of the Spring semester, these measures seemed to reduce the number of reported alcohol-related incidents, Borough Police Lt. Dennis McManimon said.

However, this semester he said there has been an increase in citations, including 30 in September, for various offenses on Prospect Avenue.

"I'm not going to say [the clubs] haven't made attempts," McManimon said. "Since September, though, we've seen quite a few calls. It would seem that they have the best intentions, but they're still having problems with people."

But, University officials are hesitant to blame the eating clubs for the increase in citations.

"I am really not impressed by the fact that there were more arrests made in the fall," said Daniel Silverman, director of University Health Services and Chief Medical Officer. "It indicates a more active approach on the part of the police. It's not an indication of a problem in an increase in binge drinking on campus."

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Silverman said there are many signs that problems with drinking are improving. For example, he said that since April more students have referred themselves to treatment for alcohol and psychological counseling than ever before.

Despite the University's best efforts to curb underage drinking, the clubs may soon have more legal problems. Investigations are ongoing, and McManimon said up to two more clubs may have charges brought against them for offenses similar to those against Cap and Gown Club.

"This is not the first round of club presidents charged with serving to minors," Borough Council member David Goldfarb said. Last year, officers of four clubs were charged for serving minors.

"Commitments were made by club presidents that steps would be taken that could be evaluated objectively," he said. "My understanding is that those steps were not taken."

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There still remain a number of issues that will be discussed about the ordinance, including University efforts to monitor and improve alcohol problems on campus.

"It would make our job a lot easier with the ordinance, but that's not saying that we're using [these recent charges] as a spring board to get the ordinance passed," McManimon said.

However, University administrators and student leaders still believe last semester's changes have made a difference.

Inter-Club Council president Corey Sanders '04 said most clubs have made "valiant" efforts to provide alternative beverages and increase security.

"Almost all the clubs have professional safeguards and roughly only half had them last year," said Sanders, who will present his findings to the council on Tuesday.

And University officials believe their efforts to raise awareness about alcohol abuse will continue to pay dividends.

"Participation by the entering class in the alcohol.edu awareness program has dramatically increased over participation in the previous year," Vice President for Public Affairs Robert Durkee '69 said. "There was also a dramatic poster campaign in the fall."

However, he warned, "Whether the community finds these measures as adequate remains to be seen."

Many members of the University community are hopeful that Borough officials will continue to work with the University administration to find a workable solution.

"The University has initiated many programs, invested enormous time and energy and financial resources," University Director of State and Community Affairs Pam Hersh said in an email. "This is not a town versus gown issue. It is an issue and concern of great importance to both."