2008 Woodie Awards
Campus police aim to cut back underage drinking
By Cassidy Garvin
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: News
Some Slippery Rock University students believe they are specifically targeted by police for underage drinking.
Carrie Mazurek, a sophomore psychology major, speaks from experience.
She was outside Watson Hall last year with her head drooping between her knees because she didn't feel well.
A student from a building across the road saw her and contacted the community assistant of the other building.
That CA proceeded to walk over to Watson Hall and once they realized Mazurek was intoxicated, proceeded to call the University Police. Mazurek was asked to blow into a Breathalyzer and was then cited for underage drinking.
This was later expunged from her record after she went through the necessary measures involving the change of her behaviors.
Although Mazurek agrees that underage drinking needs to be controlled on campus, she also believes strongly that there is a right and a wrong way to control it.
"I don't think you should be given an underage unless you're disrupting society," Mazurek said.
To her surprise, the police never interrogated Mazurek about the furnishers of the alcohol.
Captain Terry Brown of the Slippery Rock Police Department said the prevalence of underage drinking is on the rise.
Brown said that he had to have more policemen patrolling on certain nights because of the frequency of underage drinking.
He explained that although there are separate police stations for the university and the borough, they both give out generally the same number of citations.
Brown said that the majority of citations are given at the beginning of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester.
"Furnishing alcohol to the underage drinker is a greater offense, and the police are cracking down," Brown said.
Brown said underage drinking can lead to poor decision making and even greater problems, like when students mix the inexperience of drinking and the inexperience of driving, which can result in highway fatalities.
Carrie Mazurek, a sophomore psychology major, speaks from experience.
She was outside Watson Hall last year with her head drooping between her knees because she didn't feel well.
A student from a building across the road saw her and contacted the community assistant of the other building.
That CA proceeded to walk over to Watson Hall and once they realized Mazurek was intoxicated, proceeded to call the University Police. Mazurek was asked to blow into a Breathalyzer and was then cited for underage drinking.
This was later expunged from her record after she went through the necessary measures involving the change of her behaviors.
Although Mazurek agrees that underage drinking needs to be controlled on campus, she also believes strongly that there is a right and a wrong way to control it.
"I don't think you should be given an underage unless you're disrupting society," Mazurek said.
To her surprise, the police never interrogated Mazurek about the furnishers of the alcohol.
Captain Terry Brown of the Slippery Rock Police Department said the prevalence of underage drinking is on the rise.
Brown said that he had to have more policemen patrolling on certain nights because of the frequency of underage drinking.
He explained that although there are separate police stations for the university and the borough, they both give out generally the same number of citations.
Brown said that the majority of citations are given at the beginning of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester.
"Furnishing alcohol to the underage drinker is a greater offense, and the police are cracking down," Brown said.
Brown said underage drinking can lead to poor decision making and even greater problems, like when students mix the inexperience of drinking and the inexperience of driving, which can result in highway fatalities.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 28
Angie Manfull
posted 10/18/07 @ 11:40 PM EST
I have a comment on the sitations that the police give at Slippery Rock. My son was cited for underage possession after driving an intoxicated 23 year old to a bar where he purchased beer. (Continued…)
John
posted 10/19/07 @ 6:47 PM EST
The police definitely do go out of there way to look for people who are drinking, we all know it. It's really sad that they don't fight real crimes. We live in a place with one of, if not the, highest drinking age in the world. (Continued…)
Angie
posted 10/20/07 @ 2:45 AM EST
I am sorry if I offended you officer, Phill. I don't see anywhere in my post that I said my son wouldn't take his punishment or that I was trying to blame it on someone else. (Continued…)
Phil
posted 10/22/07 @ 3:49 PM EST
Angie, just because someone doesn't know the law doesn't mean they don't have to follow it. Ignorance isn't an excuse and maybe you should have explained to your son before he came to college all the points of alcohol. (Continued…)
Phill
posted 10/22/07 @ 7:34 PM EST
John, seriously, we all know it's against the law. We may not agree with it, but it's like that all over the country. Of course the cops are going to watch for something they know is going on, that's how they get funds and frankly that's what their job is, to respond when the law is broken. (Continued…)
David
posted 10/23/07 @ 12:28 AM EST
I have a few comments in reguards to this article. It is obviously previlent that the University Police are out looking for crimes being commited! Underage drinking is a huge target! It is stated in the article "Brown said that he had to have more policemen patrolling on certain nights because of the frequency of underage drinking. (Continued…)
Steve
posted 10/29/07 @ 9:42 AM EST
First off, the campus police and borough police violate the rights of students all the time. The whole concept of "disorderly house" is completely ridiculous. (Continued…)
Elana
posted 11/01/07 @ 9:46 AM EST
I have been a CA now for two years, and I just wanted to give my two cents. We don't necessarily "look" for trouble. If anything, we're hoping we don't find any. (Continued…)
ashley
posted 11/01/07 @ 10:53 PM EST
I feel the same way, that the police are just looking for the underage drinking. With out being intoxicated, people are driving around campus like freaking idiots. (Continued…)
Becky
posted 11/07/07 @ 2:33 PM EST
I agree wholeheartedly with Elena and Phill.
Underage drinking is against the law - no one can argue that point. The University police and Borough Police, as well as the CAs have an obligation to protect residents, not just of Slippery Rock University, but also of Slippery Rock in general. (Continued…)
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