DA targets unsupervised fraternity parties
Kevin Muller
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: News
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Moran noted that providing alcohol to underage drinkers is a Class A misdemeanor - unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree - punishable by up to a year in jail. Maintaining a residence where underage guests are charged money for alcohol is a class B misdemeanor - criminal nuisance in the second degree - and can "jeopardize the real property in question."
The Phi Sigma Xi fraternity, known informally as Phigs, was indicted by Moran on both of these charges in addition to hazing. Allegedly, the fraternity sold alcoholic beverages to several underage students at its official residence at 72 Center Street.
Moran said that whenever police encounter a person under the age of 21 who is intoxicated or has committed a crime while intoxicated, they will trace back to where the alcohol was obtained and who provided it.
"My desire is to bring those people before grand jury and have them indicted for their illegal activities," he said.
In response to the commonly stated argument that eradicating underage drinking in a college town is an unrealistic goal, Moran noted that drinking can be moderated in smaller gatherings where friends can keep an eye on each other.
He said, however, that he is very concerned about the unsupervised drinking that can occur when large parties are held where students may not have anyone monitoring their behavior or alcohol consumption.
Partially in response to Partamian's death, Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard announced that his county will make available an anonymous tip line where the public can report suspected underage drinking. Such a program already exists in Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Monroe counties.
Robert Bonfiglio, vice president for Student and Campus Life, is another member of the community who is looking to control the underage drinking in Geneseo. Bonfiglio is a member of the College Community Alcohol Coalition, which is comprised of representatives from the college, village and law enforcement. The coalition seeks to ensure that "whatever drinking is done is done in a legal and responsible way."
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 10
Anon
posted 4/09/09 @ 5:08 PM EST
This is stupid. College parties have been occurring like this for years. Lower the drinking age if you want to see a real change, then kids wouldn't have to drink unsupervised. (Continued…)
Mari
posted 4/09/09 @ 8:52 PM EST
I don't think it's stupid. The law is the law. If we have an issue with it, we fight it. People don't care much about actually pushing rather than just talking about lowering the drinking age because we can get it so easily anyways, but obviously in situations like this we see that such a law change could be greatly beneficial. (Continued…)
George
posted 4/09/09 @ 10:21 PM EST
Good job, PIGS. For my entire 4 years at Geneseo kids have been drinking underage at Opens with very little incidents. At the worst someone pukes and feels like garbage the next morning, cuts back a bit and then does it all over again. (Continued…)
Mari
posted 4/10/09 @ 8:10 AM EST
I'm aware of the highway thing; aren't there one or two states that do actually have lower drinking ages because of this? somewhere in the south...
such a thing isn't irreversible though, it would get changed if enough people spoke out against it. (Continued…)
Aachen
posted 4/10/09 @ 10:22 AM EST
My biggest problem with this is the simple waste of resources. I already had this rant on the other article, so if you want to see it there it is.
Mari, it's not that I don't think that serving alchohol to minors isn't wrong. (Continued…)
Rusty
posted 4/11/09 @ 12:19 PM EST
Referring to above poster, I'm not sure why someone would say rape is worse than murder. Obviously, murder results in the loss of one or more human lives. (Continued…)
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