Page 12 November 29, 1984 The Capitol Times
Students protest drinking law
By Susan Skorupa
College Press Service
NORMAL, IL. (CPS) -- In
one of the most violent episodes
yet this fall of nationwide stu
dent resistance to strict new
drinking policies, as many as
1000 Illinois State University
students took to the streets took
to the streets in a seven-hour
riot last month.
The young people, mostly
ISU students, flocked from
campus to city hall on October
4, pelting police with rocks and
breaking store and office win
dows, officials reported.
Other protestors staged a sit
in at a downtown theater and
threw rocks at police attemp
ting to remove them.
Traffic on a nearby highway
also was disrupted by partying
protestors equipped with a keg
of beer, observers said.
Local and state police broke
up the seven-hour disturbance
with tear gas about 2:30 a.m.
following three arrests and a
plea to students from ISU
President Lloyd Wallace to
stop demonstrating. Officials
reported no serious injuries.
Officials also noted new city
laws governing the use of
alcohol and making students
get permits for parties are be
ing enforced for the first time
this fall.
"There have been reports of
a number of spontaneous par
ties with 2000 or 3000 people
who take over whole
neighborhoods," explains Steve
Mahrt, the city lawyer. "And
there are thousands of students
out at night, roaming
neighborhoods, drinking beer.
Occasionally, a few get drunk
and vandalize property."
Similar crackdowns are oc
curring on other campuses this
fall as civil authorities move to
curb off-campus partying, and
enforce new drinking regula
tions and laws.
At the University of Texas at
El Paso, disorderly conduct
charges were filed against Phi
Kappa Tau fraternity President
Dan Sosa when the frat's
neighbors complained about a
noisy party.
The fraternity, which is ap
pealing a prior disorderly con
duct conviction as well as the
current charge, plans to
relocate.
More frequent Southwest
Missouri State University police
patrols are enforcing drinking
regulations with a new law
allowing them to arrest students
on suspicion of a misdemeanor.
Thanks to recent hikes in the
minimum drinking age and new
regulations designed to
minimize campuses's legal
liability for student behavior,
milder protests have erupted at
Wisconsin, North Carolina
State, Indiana, St. Bonaventure
and Florida, among dozens of
schools, in recent weeks.
The ISU crackdown netted
over 300 violators in August
and September, said Normal
City Hall spokesperson Mahn.
There were only 17 in May and
June.
But all the violations stemm
ed from the city's public posses
sion of alcohol ordinance, not
the new mass gathering law
which requires permits for
public gatherings of 300 or
more, Mahrt reported.
"We haven't had a single
party disturbance this fall,"
agreed Richard Godfrey, ISU
director of institutional ad
vancement and Normal mayor.
"And the frats have had no
problem with the ordinance.
It's very easy to comply with."
Some students questioned the
ordinance's summer passsage,
claiming few students were on
campus then, but Godfrey
recalled ISU student leaders
joining discussions of the
measure last spring.
And the demonstration, ad
vertised through leaflets and the
campus newspaper, was not en-
dorsed by the student gove
ment, he added.
Most protestors had no i
why they were there,
maintained.
Officials are prepared f
more demonstrations, but "
don't anticipate any," Godfr
said. "Some students have ev
suggested taking up a colleen
to pay for damages."