A few weekends ago, my friends and I decided to go to a party off campus. One of my friends wasn’t drinking that night so she drove us there. Just as we were about to turn onto Collette Street, we saw a police car pull someone over.
“Sh**. Probably unrelated, let’s just go the other way,” we thought.
?We went the other way and what did we see at the end of the street? Three more police cars. That was the end of our night. The police busted the party 20 minutes later.
Later that week, another friend and I were sitting at breakfast. I glanced over at The Waterville Morning Sentinel. The front-page headline read, “19 Colby students charged during party.”
According to the article, the police “‘continue to work with the college’” and “Colby students are not being targeted” (Waterville Morning Sentinel, October 4, 2011).
Whether or not we are “being targeted” is up to your discretion. This is the second time this year that a large number of students have been summoned for underage drinking. While these are the only incidents mentioned in the newspaper, others may have gone unreported. For example, I’ve heard of police pulling over cabs headed towards Colby and breathalyzing each passenger.
Obviously, the safest thing to do is to stay at Colby. Unfortunately, much of the party scene has moved off campus. If you are under 21, going off campus is a huge risk these days.
As for my advice?
Don’t drink. Enough said.
Even though I’ve already said it, stay on campus if you can. Here’s why: Security will only take your name if it is clear that you are intoxicated (ie: you are vomiting, holding an open container, etc.). As long as they don’t call the police, you can only get in trouble with the college.
If you are off campus and the police get involved, be respectful. If there is anything that can help you, it is to cooperate.
Hopefully, more parties will take place on campus in the coming weeks and you won’t have to worry!
Picture:
www.parade.com