Brandeis is not a party school. Period. That said, Brandeis parties are not a completely alien phenomena. Parties do exist. And these gatherings often involve alcohol - even for those under the legal drinking age. But according to students, these parties are not as large, not as wild, and not as frequent as parties at a so-called party school.

Many students go on to claim that this distinction arises partly from the attitudes and actions of campus police. Students add that police presence this year seems more salient than ever: according to Brandeis party-goers, public safety officers are now arriving at parties with less cause, as well as more often and earlier in the night.



Parties just ain't what they used to be.

Jacob Baron '06 recounts a recent venture: "Last weekend, Friday night, I tried to party. That task seems very difficult on or near Brandeis' campus. I never even made it to a party that night, because so many of them were broken up that there was a line at the Ziv party I tried to go to."

Compared to last year, Baron said, "... it seems that everything is being broken up earlier and more harshly, with everyone being kicked out and scattered instead of warned or told to keep it quieter." According to Baron, this is a step in the wrong direction. "Off-campus parties are one thing, because they affect the Waltham community, but honestly, if Brandeis wants to have any hope of attracting more applicants or attaining a better reputation by a supposedly improving social scene, this new stricter attitude by the Brandeis police has to stop."

Elena Katsnelson '05 made a similar point. "What Brandeis has to take into account," she said, "is that if people aren't happy here, no matter how much they like the academics and everything else, they aren't going to stay here."

"In order to have an active student body, they need to have a happy student body. If they disallow any kind of fun, that's not going to happen," Katsnelson continued. She said that the capacity for change lies more in the university administration than the police. "I think the Brandeis police do a good job...But as far as parties go, I think that Brandeis as a university goes a little too far in restricting student activities."

Katsnelson mentioned that at a recent party in the Mods, the police came several times and eventually-she is not sure of the time, but estimated that it was after one o'clock in the morning-instructed everyone to leave. Though she said until then, the police "were very cool with us being there," she echoed Baron's observation that police presence at parties has taken an upward turn. The police, she said, "are a lot more hardcore this year."

Camille Linick '05 has also noticed the change. The reason, she said, "is not necessarily because cops are trying to enforce the rules any more than they ever have." Instead, she said she believes that "this year the parties are simply bigger. People run out of alcohol less frequently and they usually don't have anyone at the door to make sure the place doesn't get too full. The place gets packed to the gills, the music is blasting, and before you know it, the cops are there."

Because of the police, said Rachel Kane '05, "Brandeis is sort of dead by midnight or one o'clock." On occasion, she added, it's even earlier: two weeks ago, police broke up a party in Ziv at 11 p.m.

Brandeis students do not see this is a lost cause; they are prepared with suggestions. "I think (the police) should have a policy of not breaking anything up before one a.m. at the very earliest," said Baron.

"Sometimes," said Rebecca Toddings '05, "I don't see where the problem is. The cops should wait until there is a problem before they come to the party."

Deborah Lyon '06 spoke of another time when she said the police overexerted their power. Last year, after one of the events during Bronstein weekend, she and her friends were standing around outside, and the police told them to return to their rooms. "I pay 36 thousand dollars to go here-and I pay, not my parents-and I can stand outside at 2 a.m. if I want to!" Lyon said.

"The police come when it's not out of control," said Hannah Berg '06. She is from Oregon, and she said that her friends who attend the University of Oregon talk about full-fledged riots at parties. In cases like this, Berg said she believes the police should certainly step in. But in less violent situations, she said she thinks "the Brandeis police need to loosen up and realize we're in college."

Despite their misgivings, students say that compared to Waltham police, and sometimes compared to quad directors and CAs, the Brandeis police are in fact quite lenient.

The Waltham police, said Katsnelson, "are very obnoxious." She continued: "They don't even ask what's going on. They just come up and say, 'Everyone's going to jail.' And then everyone runs off and they say, 'Fine. You're not going to jail.'"

"The (Brandeis) cops' goal," said Yonatan Samlan '04, is "keeping order with a minimum amount of trouble." In his experience, police only break up "really big, noisy parties."

And in non-party related issues, such as burglary and assault, students praise the Brandeis police force. Jason Hyne '06 said that he filed two police reports this past weekend, and the police were very attentive in both cases. His only remaining complaint, he said, "is that they still abuse their car ticket ing privilege."



They're just doing their job.

Ed Callahan, director of public safety at Brandeis, began by stating that the police do not merely show up haphazardly at parties, but instead respond to calls from members of the community.

"If someone calls the dispatch and says there's a party, the officers have to go," said Callahan. Usually, he continued, these calls occur more frequently in the beginning of the school year, and continue throughout the year.

Callahan said it is currently too early in the year to note any changes from last year. As far as referrals to Residence Life or the Student Judicial Board, there were 81, 89, and 96, in 1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively.

Callahan did say that he has also noticed the shift to earlier hours of the night. He said though, that the since the police come in response to calls, this means that calls are coming earlier in the night.

"In the 70s and 80s, people were up till 2 or 3 a.m. at Brandeis. People now seem to go to bed earlier," Callahan said. "I think the economy dictates that...the economy is harder now...there are more students that work now. In order to sustain a job, you have to go to bed - at night."

Callahan went on to explain University policies, which require that students register in advance any party they plan to hold in residence halls. Callahan personally signs each registration form, as do the hosts of the party and the quad director.

Based on these forms, the police have a advance notice about the location of parties. With this knowledge, said Callahan, the officers "try to do a certain percentage of community policing." This means they may "stop in at parties or before the party and explain to students what is expected." These expectations often include a size restriction, which is outlined on the registration form.

In a Ziv suite, for instance, Callahan said that "from a public safety perspective, over 50 people in a suite is a concern."

Callahan explained the general procedures in response to a call about a party. "It's not like you just go in and kick the door open. It's methodical," he said.

One or more officers will go to the party and first try to determine if the party is "authorized or unauthorized." If it is authorized (registered), the officer will ask guests to regulate their behavior. If it is unauthorized, the officer could conceivably ask people to leave right then. But according to Callahan, "unless there were a riot, unless they get to a party and it was so out of control," then the police would not shut down a party on the first warning.

If police have to report to the same party two or three times, however, they may ask the guests to leave.

Even when police do terminate a party, the students do not necessarily get in trouble. If it is an unauthorized party or one that is "totally out of control," the police often refer the hosts to the department of residence life. Only in more extreme situations would police make a referral to the student judicial system.

And only in very rare cases do the Brandeis police make arrests. In the 2002-2003 school year, said Callahan, there was one "protective custody incident," where a student was "so belligerent" that physical restraint seemed necessary. From 1999-2001, there was one liquor-related arrest on campus each year.

"We try to be more educational than punitive. We're not a rigid force," said Callahan. "If you're a minor in possession of alcohol, we'd rather go through the educational system than the criminal justice system."

"Students probably look at our presence as meddlesome. They say, 'This guy just doesn't want us to have fun,'" said Callahan. "But I'm here to make sure that you maintain four years of academic and social involvement.