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Police Raid 3 Clubs, Arrest Students for Fake IDs, Underage Drinking
UT Judicial Coordinator Joins Officials for ‘Compliance Checks’ By CHANNING HAILEY News Reporter
“Students being brought out of the club were in tears. They were in handcuffs, and I knew that I needed to get inside and let their friends know what was going on,” said Michael Gilmer, describing a Thursday evening earlier this month outside the popular night club The Kennedy. On April 7, Gilmer, a judicial coordinator within the University of Tampa’s Office of Student Conduct, went on a “ride-along” with ABT (Florida’s division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco) and the Sheriff’s Alcohol Vendor Enforcement (S.A.V.E). He wanted to gain a firsthand view of how they are preventing underage drinking and the possession of false identification. S.A.V.E. was started in 2006 to help reduce alcohol-related traffic accidents in Hillsborough County. The program’s main activity is enforcing drinking-age laws by doing compliance checks in Tampa clubs and bars. During the checks, officials focus on
making sure minors are not being served alcohol and that patrons are carrying valid identification. Officers from S.A.V.E, as well as enforcement from ABT, have recently noticed an increase in UT students under the age of 21 drinking in clubs and, in many cases, carrying fake IDs. “[ABT] were the ones that contacted us to let us know what was going on,” said Gilmer. UT campus security officers have also noticed a prevalence of underage drinking and possession of fake IDs on campus. During the past academic year, weekly campus security reports stated that there were more than 50 incidents in which students under the age of 21 were caught in possession of alcohol. Fourteen of these cases resulted in the confiscation of fake IDs. Representatives from ABT and S.A.V.E. have visited UT, as part of what Gilmer called a “task force” with the Office of Student Conduct and student leaders. The aim of the task force was letting UT students, faculty and staff better understand what goes on
during the officers’ compliance checks. Law enforcement also regularly comes to meetings held by the UT’s Coalition for an Alcohol Responsible Environment (CARE). “It’s really important to partner with the community,” said associate dean of students Gina Firth. “Law enforcement is integral. We need it to keep us safe.” As Gilmer shared, “ABT and the Sheriff’s office allow for ridealongs when they visit clubs and bars, so that we can see how the laws are being enforced.” He said the ride-alongs are not just for UT staff. Students can also go with the officers on compliance checks and watch as they check identifications of patrons who appear to be under the age of 21. This option is even one of the sanctions offered by the Office of Student Conduct for students who have violated the alcohol policy. Gilmer described how he found himself outside the Photo Illustration by The Minaret
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Environmentally Challenged: Students Tackle Real World Eco-Issues News Reporter
While most students go through the routine of attending class, taking notes and sitting in for exams, assistant professor of sociology Annie Tuttle opts to break free from the practice. “College is about more than just memorizing terms, writing papers and taking tests,” Tuttle said. “I think students need to learn how the world works, how much effort it takes to create social change and how to work together.” Tuttle explained, “The University and Department of Sociology believe in learning outside of the classroom. “I think it is important for students to apply what they learn inside the classroom to
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By SHIVANI KANJI
the community and make a difference.” With this in mind, Tuttle had her Environmental Sociology class (SOC 294) take part in an environmental challenge. The challenge involves students working in groups to solve real-world environmental issues in the context of the university or local community. The students were assigned a broad topic such as sustainability and environmental justice and were instructed to come up with a challenge they could solve on a local level. “Challenge-based learning is an alternative type of service learning project that gives students the power to solve a problem [of their choice], allows them to be creative and resourceful, gain experience working with peers as well as members of the community,
In Other News... This paper was printed with soy-based ink on 10% recycled newsprint.
-Annie Tuttle, Assistant Professor of Sociology
and make a difference,” Tuttle explained. The class was split into three groups and chose to address the issues of recycling, water conservation and overfishing. As part of their grade, students had to create a “challenge video” (in which they explained their problem and their solution) and keep a personal blog in which they wrote bi-weekly reflections on their progress, problems,
thoughts and ideas. The students also had to write a review of scholarly literature on their topic. They were also graded on their final presentations and on participation. They were not graded on how successful their challenge was. The recycling group, headed by Stephanie Sabga, decided to create a three-day challenge from April 11 to 13, from 8
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p.m. to 12 a.m., during which they encouraged the residents of Brevard Hall to bring their recyclable items to the lobby. Sabga felt that their project was very successful, and they were able to educate students about where the recycling bins were located on campus and which items are recyclable. “Our aim was to make a
See Students, Page 2 News..................................2
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“College is about more than just memorizing terms, writing papers and taking tests. I think students need to learn how the world works, how much effort it takes to create social change and how to work together.”
Travel Series.....................8
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18 Eco-Capitalism: Frugality Reduces Consumer Waste
Editorial...........................17
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