PACE and the campus community dove into the issue of house parties Wednesday evening, and it appears that all constituencies with a stake in the process share a lot of common ground.
Students, police, alders, community members, university administrators and many more shared a concern and a desire to curb the dangerous circumstances that can arise from students’ weekend social activities.
The assembled group was even able to agree that the problem at hand is not house parties in general but rather a subset, the dreaded “raging kegger run amok.” While the dialogue was a good start, the tough questions were glossed over during the meeting: Namely, how can the city and university encourage safer house parties when most every house party, even the so called “safe ones,” violates numerous city ordinances and statutes?
According to police and the university, the problem is not with smaller get-togethers where everybody knows your name, as if you were Norm walking into Cheers. The dangerous conditions that result in the much-talked-about negative effects of alcohol consumption are present in only a few of the many parties that go on each weekend. The danger comes from the “freshman mixer,” where eight or more barrels are rolled into a Fahrenbrook basement, or the “rent raiser,” where cups cost $5 and Apple Pucker shots are two for a dollar.
Of course, cramming 500 underagers into a four-bedroom apartment is dangerous for many reasons, let alone the risks associated with alcohol consumption. Madison firefighters have long claimed their worst fear is the collapse of an 80-year-old balcony packed with over-served, unassuming underagers. But if this is the only conclusion all players in the house-party debate can agree upon, then the PACE project is simply wasting their time.
The problem has been identified; now it is time to address the causes and come up with workable solutions.
It is undeniable that a major factor in the popularity of the kegger is the fact that they are some of the few places that people under the age of 21 have easy access to alcohol. It would seem logical that a lower drinking age would make the bars a more attractive alternative than some random, dank basement.
And to the extent that the bars are one of the safest places to drink due to their professional supervision and high regulation, one would think that the PACE posse would lobby for a 19-year-old drinking age the way they lobbied for a drink-special ban.
No one but students wants to go that route, citing the lack of political support and loss of federal highway dollars. But it is important to at least acknowledge that this is a significant, if not the driving, factor for problem parties.
It comes down to the fact that if the City of Madison can issue a resolution defiling the Federal Patriot Act, you would think it might be within their bag of tricks to essentially decriminalize drinking for those between the ages of 19 and 21. Anything to show a nod in the direction of recognizing that our current system of laws is counter-intuitive to creating a safe campus environment for drinking.
If the community is serious about working with students to make all drinking safer, than it needs to offer an olive branch. The reality for any experienced party-thrower is that what begins as two kegs for your roommates and their friends quickly devolves into a drinking nightmare when three floors from Witte and half the senior class from West High School let themselves in the back door — bringing their own cups, of course.
A party thrower has no options in such a situation. How can you alert the police that things are out of hand when you have no idea what officer will show up at your door, let alone whether he will be in a bad mood because he didn’t get laid last night?
Anyone who has had extensive experience with city and UW police knows that most of them are reasonable, understanding and helpful. This type of officer gets a noise complaint, checks things out, realizes it is 25 people with a keg and tells them to turn the music down or else.
But there is also the officer who responds to the same call, only to find the keg is cached, there are three people left on the couch, and the speakers are blown. Angry that he came all that way for nothing, he gives you a noise citation. Upon your objection, he reminds you of how lucky you are that he didn’t throw the book at you and your friends on the couch.
The PACE coalition must look for means by which the party host and public-safety officials can mediate situations that have gotten out of hand. We cannot defend the 400-person party on Fahrenbrook designed for the express purpose of cramming freshmen into their basements and extorting their lunch money. But when a light social gathering explodes, an unfair burden falls on student hosts, who have nowhere to turn for help without risking a visit from the stereotypical jackbooted thug.
We believe a means by which student hosts can preempt punitive action by the police by making initial contact and asking for help in ejecting unwanted guests is necessary. If hosts make the first effort to contact police and get their party under control, the law should come to their aid, not their ail.
Now that PACE has recognized the true dangers of the “house-party scene” are far more pointed than a keg, some friends, and some bass, it is time for them to show a serious commitment to advocating student’s rights to city and university authorities. Any other action will simply result in greater secrecy, animosity, and danger.
Eric Cullen ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science. A.J. Hughes ([email protected]) is a UW graduate.