Thursday, May 10, 2012
NorCal or SoCal?
Le Serves an Ace
Which is California’s crown?
Tennis star makes history
OPINION, PAGE 5
SPORTS, PAGE 10
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Students Gulp Down the Grade Police and
Party Hosts Compromise Incidents at Cinco de Mayo day party caused concern Joseph Forte
The Santa Clara Throng after throng of bro-tanked, boy-shorted thrill-seekers packed into the cul-de-sac’s few remaining inches of open space. A few girls began dancing to the thumping music on top of beer pong tables. One student with a bottle of tequila offered free shots to girls — provided they drink them on their knees. Partygoers crowded into the Alviso apartment block in the early afternoon for the “Cinco de Alvisos” day party. Senior Bridget O’Hara said, “There was a lot of broken glass (and) a lot of outof-control drunk people, but it was fun.” Many students felt that, in comparison to past years, the party was somewhat RYAN SELEWICZ — THE SANTA CLARA
Drinking in class has gained more attention on campus. Students drink in class to pregame for after parties, spark conversation, or simply accomplish a self-set goal.
Some drink in class to prepare for parties Michael Rosa
Associate Reporter College has long been considered the place to leave inhibitions at the door, usually the door of your parents’ station wagon or the plane on your first ever oneway flight. But often students are recommended, if not required, to keep those inhibitions in place when they step through a certain door — particularly the classroom door. Being drunk in the classroom is a topic that often goes unmentioned. The first time Steven Marden*, a political science major, showed up drunk to class was during his first quarter, after attending an afternoon fraternity event. His hangover took over halfway through the class. “I was sitting there just dying and dying and dying,” he said.
When he went to turn in a paper, his professor said he smelled vodka and asked Marden if he had alcohol in his bottle. Marden said his bottle only contained the sport drink, but that he had a little too much to drink earlier. “(My professor) said ‘I’m not even mad, I’m just impressed.’ He kind of just gave me a pat on the back and said ‘it happens, don’t worry about it,’” Marden said. According to the Alcohol Beverage policy in the Santa Clara University Handbook for 2011– 2012, “Alcoholic beverages shall not be served or consumed in public areas of the university except at authorized university events.” Marden was not technically in violation of the school’s drinking policy since he did not consume the alcohol in the classroom. On a separate occasion, Marden had a final on St. Patrick’s Day. Marden placed a beer can and ice inside a large Pepsi cup. He sipped on the beer while taking his final. After turning in the final, he decided to make a grand exit. “I walked up and said, ‘St. Patty’s Bitches!’!” before taking a swig of
Job Scams Tips to avoid employment fraud SCENE, PAGE 7
whiskey. “I actually got an A in that class,” he said. While not a participant in the act, junior communication major Alexa Chandler* witnessed multiple accounts of classroom drinking as well, especially in night classes. “I had multiple classes where people were pregaming in class,” Chandler said. “People would show up to class all dressed up to go out, so it was like a really formal drinking party.” In the Santa Clara University Handbook for 2011–2012, “An alcohol violation is considered to be a high-risk violation in the following circumstances, but not limited to: possession or consumption of alcohol when under the legal drinking age, disorderly conduct such as verbally abusive or lewd behavior, excessive consumption of alcohol…(and) excessive intoxication.” Marden managed to perform a significant portion of high-risk violations as an underclassman. At the end of spring quarter his sophomore year, Marden and a classmate decided to split an 18-rack of beer hidden in a backpack. The goal was simple: finish
the 18-rack before the 65 minute class ended. They’d crack open their beers as students searched for the source of the sound, and continued on their way through ounce after ounce, getting thoroughly drunk. On his ninth and final beer, the professor thought Marden had raised his hand and called on him. “The only thing that came out was the biggest burp of my life, and she just goes ‘wow,’” he said. After apologizing, he burped again before realizing he had to throw up, and ran to the bathroom. “I started puking my guts out,” Marden said, telling himself he would never drink in class again. “It has not happened since — lesson learned.” Contact Michael Rosa at mrosa@scu.edu.
*Editor’s note: Students’ names have been changed to protect their privacy.
“I could only hear the music from the end of the street…” subdued. “It wasn’t as crowded as (the) “Cinco de Maples” (party) gets every other year,” said senior Andrea Young. “I could only hear the music from the end of the street; definitely not from Swig,” said freshman Michael Sywik. The popular annual “Cinco de Maples” party held in the Maples apartment block was canceled this year due to fear of police fines. Following a day party on March 3, at which several tickets were given to minors in possession of alcohol, over $2,500 worth of fines were given to student hosts for consenting to the party. In the late afternoon, after the party had largely died down, an intoxicated female student fell from one of the Alviso house’s roofs, along with another male student who was trying to help her back into the house. Emergency services arrived on the scene. Neither victim was seriously injured, though the male suffered bad scrapes, according to eyewitness junior Sean Sullivan, See POLICE, Page 4
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