2008 Woodie Awards
Amherst bylaw looks to quiet off-campus partiers
Matt Rocheleau and William McGuinness, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: News
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If approved, the law allows officers to issue a $300 ticket "for the nuisances and harm caused by loud and unruly gatherings on private property."
Amherst Police Capt. Michael Kent said he does not know exactly when the change will come, but expects approval from the Massachusetts Attorney General's office "any day now," thereby putting the law into effect.
The University of Massachusetts was recently lauded for its campaign against binge drinking.
UMass estimates a 36 percent drop in the activity, and cite dormitory restrictions and heightened enforcement of these rules as a major factor. In residence halls, drinking games are prohibited, no empty containers of alcohol are allowed and fewer students can be signed into dorm rooms.
The Campus and Community Coalition (CCC) is a major supporter of the action, and co-chairs Martha N. Patrick and Sally Linowski said in a letter to the Amherst Select Board that the move will do much to curb underage drinking, a common activity around campus.
In 2007, Amherst Police reported 429 arrests for the unlawful possession of liquor by an individual under 21 years old. Citing that these arrests take a lot of police resources and town money to process, the committee suggests passing the bill.
But UMass and the Amherst community are working to make sure that they have not simply channeled the flow of alcohol off campus, resulting in a financial burden for the town.
"The idea of cost recovery in a time of fiscal constraints to local communities is an important factor in allowing towns the financial ability to respond to nuisances that are detrimental to local neighborhoods without further burdening the local budget," the letter reads.
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