Fed up with Tufts' ailing party scene, students are beginning to frequent off-campus clubs and bars in greater numbers than ever before. The decentralization of the drinking scene, while a boon for bartenders, is creating problems for resident assistants (RAs) and both campus and local police, while also encouraging the use of fake IDs, according to students and local pub owners.
Area pubs have noticed a considerable increase in patronage by Tufts students. Chris Parks, manager of the Aquarium bar near Davis Square, said that he had observed a sizable growth in the number of Tufts students frequenting his establishment over the past few weeks. The manager of Mulligan's Tavern in Somerville noted that Tufts students seem to arrive much earlier than in years past, around 11:30 p.m.
Senior David Edsall is one of those hitting the bars more often. "Most of the parties I've tried to attend this year are broken up even before I arrive. I've started going out to bars more, but that's very expensive, and costs even more if I have to take a taxi home," he said.
The flow of students searching for fun off campus has included not only upperclassmen, but also underage students, and as a result, students report that fake IDs have become more popular. In an informal survey of 40 students in Miller Hall, one-third had fake IDs, and just as many said that they are planning to get them soon.
"I go to bars now every Thursday night just so that I can have some sanity in case the weekend is dead here," said one sophomore, who reported that the dying social scene has led her and her friends to acquire and use fake IDs. "People are now going to look for social life other places."
Over-21 students looking for a good time on campus, like senior Vernon Neath, have also been disappointed, noting that both the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) and local police organizations seem far stricter this year.
"I live in Latin Way, and had a small party a few weeks ago. Everyone there was over 21, and we had been careful to keep the music low," he said. "Around 11:30 p.m., the TUPD showed up, and without giving a single reason, told everyone that they had to leave or they would be arrested."
The TUPD's aggressive policing of on-campus parties has prompted a rise in the off-campus party scene.
Indeed, at the Hotung Caf?© forum on social life earlier this month, Director of Public Safety John King said that the number of reported off-campus incidents has doubled since last year at this time, leading to a corresponding increase in arrests by the Somerville and Medford Police Department.
Forced to design their own social agenda, students are turning to wreaking havoc in the residence halls. Many freshman and sophomores said that they routinely return to their rooms with friends after an unsuccessful party search to drink behind closed doors. As a result, RAs have been forced to control large, rowdy crowds of drunken students.
"Around midnight, large masses of students return to the halls, frustrated because of the lack of anything to do. It's midnight, and there's nowhere for them to go, so they wander the halls," said one RA.
Another RA added that oftentimes her residents would have small parties in their rooms and consume large quantities of hard liquor. "Friday and Saturday nights in the residence halls are much louder then they were last year, plus I've seen a lot more drinking in the rooms compared to last year," she said.
While students at the forum and elsewhere have repeatedly stated their understanding of the administration's motivations, especially in lieu of the recent lawsuit that the family of Scott Krueger filed against MIT, many of these same students believe a crackdown on parties is not a productive way of dealing with the issue of collegiate drinking.
"I completely understand the pressure the administration is under to keep a handle on parties, but they are doing it with total disregard to the students," sophomore Robert Menn said. "Not only are they destroying the social scene on campus, but they are also not solving anything; they are just contributing to other problems."
