Students no longer need worry about parties breaking up before midnight this fall, with the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) loosening its ironclad grip on the campus social scene. After a six-month hiatus, parties at Tufts are suddenly reinvigorated.
Students seem more satisfied with campus social life this fall, though changes began last winter. TUPD reduced the number of parties it shut down partially in response to initiatives put forth by the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate's Social Life Policy Task Force last January.
After 300 students gathered on the President's Lawn to protest what many considered a police "crackdown," the TCU Senate formed a task force made up of administrators and students from various departments and student organizations. "We reached a point of frustration where we felt the police were shutting down parties a little too frequently and much earlier in the night," TCU Senate President Eric Greenberg said. "It was getting to the point where there was hardly a social scene."
The initiatives included improving the relationship between the Greek system and the TUPD, the provision of some non-alcoholic activities, and extending Hotung operating hours until 3 a.m. on Friday nights.
"All these initiatives were to make social life more apparent and give functions the best chance of running through their predicted end time, instead of being shut down," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said. "The previous fall in 2000 was not good, but the changes that were put in effect last spring and this fall seem to get pretty positive feedback."
Fraternities and culture houses now register parties with the TUPD prior to hosting events. Each event is assigned a detail officer who visits two or three parties a night to check that they are complying with University regulations. The detail officers also check the party site before the event to ensure that the hosts have drafted a guest list and a proper system for checking ID's and indicating which attendees are under 21.
"Last year's freshmen got a taste that there was no social life on campus. They felt that there was nothing to do here," Greenberg said. "There is a police presence now, but it's a cooperative relationship."
Sigma Nu President Eric Halzel said that the current set-up is better for campus social life. "It's definitely on the upswing," Halzel said. "I think it's more about working together to create a safe environment and a fun environment at the same time."
According to TUPD Captain Mark Keith, the TUPD is fully staffed for the first time in recent years, giving the perception of a heightened police presence. While more officers are on duty during busy hours this year, Keith said that complaints have decreased. "September is usually a very busy month to begin with and that was the case last year," Keith said. "There were a lot of parties and a lot of complaints from neighbors. So far this year, it doesn't seem to be as busy as it was last year."
But TUPD has broken up some parties that did not comply with University rules. "A couple of parties have been closed down for not going through with, or following regulations for having an event," Keith said.
The number of such overall interruptions, however, have decreased. "Anything was positive after first semester, and so far it's been working," Halzel said.
Last year's "crackdown" was partly influenced by the 1999 alcohol-induced death of MIT student Scott Krueger and the multi-million dollar lawsuit that his parents settled with the school. "I think there were a lot of students who felt that there was a different type of culture at Tufts than at MIT," Greenberg said. "The truth is, drinking on campuses is reported to be a national problem. Just because [Krueger's death] was in Boston, the scrutiny was more focused on colleges in the area. The pressure to act was a little bit stronger here."
Though Tufts has not experienced any recent alcohol-related deaths, Reitman said that Tufts students should not believe they are invincible. "Rather than attributing it to programs, [we're] lucky that nobody's gotten hurt," he said. "It's been people's vigilance and a little luck."
Though September is typically a busy month for the TUPD, Keith said that last Tuesday's terrorist attacks changed the mood on campus. The lack of incidents "was probably due to the tragic events," Keith said. "It just seemed to be very quiet and somber on campus."
But according to Reitman, Tufts experienced a higher-than-average number of students who required medical attention last weekend. "Above all, safety is the primary concern of everyone," Greenberg said. "If there is a party, and it seems under control, [police] will tell the students what they need to keep the party going instead of just shutting it down."
