Georgetown Students Bristle At New Restrictions on Parties

Townhouses for upperclassmen must have resident staff members keeping an eye on things. The university has a three-strikes policy, so three alcohol violations could result in suspension. And the school has banned alcohol paraphernalia -- a change that mystified many students. (Meaning those ice luges that some bars pour shots down? Funnels?)

Jenna Lowenstein, a junior, said tables that could be used for beer pong or other drinking games were among the examples given.

Within minutes of his party getting shut down last week, junior Pat DePoy launched a protest movement on Facebook.com. By yesterday afternoon, the group -- Work Hard-Play Hard, GU Students for Stopping the Madness -- had petitions with nearly 1,900 signatures.

"I've never seen so much campus uproar," sophomore Kayleigh Brown said.

Ben Shaw, president of the Georgetown University Student Association, said he has heard from many students upset about aggressive enforcement and off-campus safety.

"You can't just change the culture of a college campus," said Dan Castrigano, one of DePoy's housemates. "Eighteen-, 19-, 20-year-olds are going to drink. You just have to be smart about it."

Jeanne Lord, associate vice president for student affairs, said, "We're all trying to achieve a balance that promotes the safety and well-being of our students while fostering a vibrant social atmosphere on campus."

The school hired someone to design late-night events that don't center on drinking: a dance in the library, an outdoor movie, a climbing wall.

Brown, the sophomore, said she thinks too much of campus life focuses on drinking and that she knows students sometimes end up in the hospital. "But you can't just suddenly clomp down, put all these rules in after letting people do whatever they want for so long," she said.

Some students said they don't have much say, because most are underage and can't drink legally and are living in housing owned by the university.

Others say they want more reasonable rules.

Yesterday afternoon, juniors Camille Kolstad and Marie Federowicz, lugging cases of Bud Light and Natural Light uphill to campus, said they were having a few people over.