Borough police crack down on clubs because they need money, don't care about students
Regarding 'De facto alcohol rules must change' (Mon., Dec. 8):
Mr. Barillari's editorial neglects to the eating club system in contrast with other schools. He sardonically references "hand-wringing editorials praising the clubs for providing a safe environment for drinking in contrast to dangerously unsupervised room parties." Mr. Barillari seems to think this statement is a piece of Eating Club propaganda. This is quite to the contrary.
As a member of Princeton's delegation to the Ivy Council, I have engaged in discussions with other schools' representatives on the subject of alcohol rules and regulations. FACT: Princeton, unlike other schools, has not had deaths due to binge drinking, making us comparatively the safest. THIS is why the editorials appear praising the club system. FACT: Whereas the police in other university towns see protecting the students as their first responsibility, even in towns where the students engage in hooliganism and vandalism unthinkable here, Borough Police are among the few who see their job as busting the students. In spite of the $15 million we give to the borough.
Why is this the situation? Because busting the eating clubs means free money. In fact, Dr. Daniel Silverman from McCosh Health Center has said the increase in police activity does not reflect an increase in lawlessness at the Street this year, but rather overzealous and malicious persecution by Borough authorities. We pay the Borough police to extract more money from the eating clubs. Do you know that a Borough police sergeant makes $75,000 a year, while a New York Police Department officer who served at the World Trade Center gets about half that?
Mr. Barillari offered no example of a system he regards as "safer." I can save him the time of looking: It doesn't exist. Why do the borough police bust us? Because they don't care about us. It's time we took back control of this Borough. We give $15 million. Henceforth, when a club is fined, let's deduct the fine from that sum. Discplining the students is the University's job, not the town's. If there's concern about the clubs' effects on the communities, then the two need to strike a better and more enforceable bargain. But if the town wants to hit us in the wallet, maybe we should hit back. Zachary Goldstein '05
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