the depauw | campus news
New website guides students to the least expensive alcohol near campus
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As the temperature rises this week, the humidity and chance of thunderstorms will increase. Weather courtesy of www.weatherchannel.com
By THE DEPAUW STAFF news@thedepauw.com
State excise police made no arrests and issued no citations on campus this Little 5 weekend. Excise police issued their only formal warning of the weekend in Greencastle to Hoods and Capers, whose beer garden was not in compliance with state standards. In contrast, the Little 500 weekend at Indiana University in Bloomington a week ago brought 271 arrests and 258 tickets for alcohol violations. Lt. Kevin Akers, who oversees the state excise district that includes Putnam County, didn’t know how many excise officers were in Greencastle over the weekend but said they were largely patrolling by car rather than
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on foot and in plainclothes. Still, many students claim they were asked to pour out water bottles containing alcoholic beverages by police officers they believed were with state excise. But Akers doesn’t think that was the case. “The officers from our agency wouldn’t have a reason to approach somebody with just a water bottle,” Akers said. “If there were some other circumstances present — somebody that was obviously impaired, somebody that was obviously intoxicated — that would potentially give us a reason to approach somebody. Our folks would only approach somebody if there was a container that was obviously an alcoholic beverage container by brand name.” Public Safety officers as well as Greencastle police were also present
at Saturday’s criterium race and active throughout the Little 5 weekend. The university activity log reported no significant changes in activity from last year’s Little 5 weekend. This year had fewer noise violations and alcohol violations, but an additional hospital visit. The Little 5 weekends in 2011 and 2012 both saw an incident of battery. No instances of sexual assault were reported this past weekend, as opposed to one report last year. In addition, officers arrested a freshman student on College Street Saturday afternoon for public intoxication, disorderly conduct, possession of false ID, resisting law enforcement and battery with injury to law enforcement.
THEN & NOW: COMPARING CRIME OVER LITTLE 5 WEEKEND 2011
7 noise violations 5 fire alarms (and one “statue set on fire” at Delta Tau Delta fraternity)
4 alcohol violations 1 hospital visit 2 incidents of public indecency
2 noise violations 6 fire alarms 3 alcohol violations 2 hospital visits 4 laptops stolen 1 case of battery 1 arrest
2012
Multiple subjects hanging over balcony at Alpha Tau Omega fraternity
THURSDAY
Students spending an afternoon looking down at the warm case of PBR resting on the counter of the Cork and Keg on Washington Street, wondering if $18 is really the cheapest price will no longer need to worry. A new website, CampusBeer.com, gathers information from all the liquor stores within a seven mile radius and shows which ones have the cheapest prices. The website also gives bar specials and deals for the night. To find DePauw’s bar and liquor store information, go to the site, click on campuses and scroll down to the DePauw University link. Clicking on a specific place in Greencastle brings up a link to get more information about the place such as the phone number and address of the business. It also gives a Google map of how to get there. “Not only will the site help users get the best booze for their buck, but it also gives students all the inside information on keg and tap deposits, deals, specials, inventory, directions and hours of operation for liquor stores and bars nearby campus,” said a press release by CampusBeer. Campusbeer.com was founded by Mike Birnbaum at the University of Delaware, and has since spread to schools in the region and beyond. Currently 1,049 schools in states ranging from Alaska to Montana are listed on the website. The website, which requires the viewer to be 21 to enter,
No Excise activity during Little 5 weekend
WEDNESDAY
news@thedepauw.com
TUESDAY
By ALEX PAUL
lists local liquor stores and bars. “The response was pretty positive. I decided right then and there I wanted to incorporate all campuses in the country,” Birnbaum said. The site does not include all places that sell liquor, and does not include stores such as Wal-Mart and Kroger for all of the schools. Birnbaum contributed this to different states having different rules on selling liquor. DePauw’s link does include CVS. “As frugal college students I think it will make a difference. Students are going to want to buy beer for the cheapest price available,” said junior Louis Wallis. Birnbaum said he still needs to put up a few more places for DePauw, but the final product will be up in about a month. Local business owners have reacted positively to the idea he said. “They are pretty much able to reach their demographic. It’s a winwin for college students and owners,” Birnbaum said. Greencastle has only two true liquor stores within a seven-mile radius: Cork and Keg and Watering Hole. Wallis doesn’t think the limited supply of places to buy alcohol will affect the impact the website can have on DePauw’s campus. “If it’s going to save you money over time, especially with the amount of beer college students buy I don’t see why you wouldn’t use it,” Wallis said.
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FRIDAY
TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012
HIGH: 85° F
LOW: 65° F
HIGH: 85° F
LOW: 66° F