Police Arrests at Drinking Party

[a3uge]

I echo Paul's comments, and I'm a NW Indiana resident my entire life, but I have some questions about said "drinking party".

I think I've been to a drinking party or two in my life, but never called it a drinking party, in fact this is the first time I've heard of this term. Do we no longer call these types of parties a house party?
Does there have to be food for it to qualify as a house party?
Was there no food at this party?
That's a pretty terrible host to not have at least some cookies, right?
How mad would you be at the worst Anne Frank impression ever? I know I would be furious at her if I was also in the attic!
Back to the party itself, do you think it was BYOB or charge for a cup and drink from the keg?
If it was charge by the cup, do you think the cops took that money? I mean it was illegally gained.
You think you get your deposit back on the keg or is that evidence that the cops take?
On the semantics of "drinking party", would they just call it a party if there were drugs involved?
If there was no drinking involved but there were drugs would it have been called a "drug party", probably not right?
Do you think they had games? I mean they obviously had beer pong, because every "drinking party" has beer pong, but I mean games like Cards Against Humanity or an Wii hooked up to the TV with like Mario Party.
Do kids still play games like that at parties? At our final party at our one friends house (they moved out, no one had a good house to party at anymore as the rest of us are apartment renters) we played Goldeneye to kick up the nostalgia factor for us 20-somethings.
Now I really want to know what the parties we threw in my friends basement. We have a lot of booze, but we also made food so we could eat through out the party. Granted we all of age.

Seriously if you're throwing a booze filled party, get some food. That's my advice to all potential party throwers. Then it won't be an ominous sounding "drinking party".

All decent questions. I have a few as well.

* Did the ceiling collapse on the girl in the attic because of rot from the shower? Or was there some sort of vent she tried climbing in?
* Did anyone win hide and go seek? Who had the best hiding spot?
* How grumpy was this judge? Gets woken up to issue a warrant, and then actually faxes over an order.
* Where would you hide? I think I'd go for a bedroom and roll myself up in a blanket in the corner. Maybe a clothes hamper.
* How bad do you think Evan Bruinsma is going to tease his sister about this?

[valpopal]

Examining the list of students charged, I know quite a few of them, some better than others, and I regard them as good young men and women, usually positive ambassadors for Valparaiso. Paul knows more of them than I do, and he knows them even better; therefore, I want to repeat an interesting point Paul raised that seems worth noting, the fact that more than 100 students were at a party and apprehended by the police, yet all the authorities found was alcohol, and the worst offenses concerned underage drinking. Among all those students, most of whom are athletes, not a single discovery of any kind of drugs and no incident of violence.

[Valpofan00]

What really bothers me i that these two guys, hear about a get to gether and stop by. Somebody says " you guys want a beer"? And they take a glass and have a few drinks.

All hell breaks lose and they get caught up with the babe in the ceiling. TOTAL BS.
These kids are acting like college kids. SHOCKING; I know.
It is truly unfortunate that Valpo has become a police state. Can you imagine what Shane is thinking?? "I left LSU for this???

What really bothers me i that these two guys, hear about a get to gether and stop by. Somebody says " you guys want a beer"? And they take a glass and have a few drinks.

All hell breaks lose and they get caught up with the babe in the ceiling. TOTAL BS.
These kids are acting like college kids. SHOCKING; I know.
It is truly unfortunate that Valpo has become a police state. Can you imagine what Shane is thinking?? "I left LSU for this???

What really bothers me i that these two guys, hear about a get to gether and stop by. Somebody says " you guys want a beer"? And they take a glass and have a few drinks.

All hell breaks lose and they get caught up with the babe in the ceiling. TOTAL BS.
These kids are acting like college kids. SHOCKING; I know.
It is truly unfortunate that Valpo has become a police state. Can you imagine what Shane is thinking?? "I left LSU for this???

This is fantastic! I agree 100% I mean cmon its college for gods sake! They are 19 and 20 years old! Quite frankly I think if you're old enough to go to war and get shot in Iraq you can have a good ol' beer. 

[Valpofan00]

Wow did I screw that up or what.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

There are a number of strands of thought in this thread that deserve to be teased out further.

First of all, people are complaining about the law itself (restricting drinking to 21). If you don't like it, change it; but don't claim that its inherent unjustness allows for civil disobedience of it now.  (This ain't a Selma-level issue of justice; nor are the violators even taking such a stance.  Yet.)  If ignorance of the law is no excuse "I don't understand why I was arrested; I was only breaking the law" is neither. 

At least tangential to that is complaining about attitudes about alcohol in general.  Today the very existence of Prohibition is roundly mocked; but for a second, contemplate all that is required to pass a constitutional amendment.  Then, realize that it passed (of course, it was also rescinded a generation later) at least 36 of 48 states.  I'm wondering what social issue of our time could possibly get 3/4 of our red-and-blue states to agree in this day and age.  (Any ideas?)  Thus, there must have been a terrific amount of nationwide agreement about the damage that drunkenness was causing to American society.  As Robert Frost says, "Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up."  After the re-stigmatization of public intox, Prohibition could safely be repealed since it had had at least one desired effect.  The "blue laws" about which Paul Oren complains are a vestige of Prohibition and a reminder that it's a tolerated/regulated vice.

Then there's the "boys will be boys" argument, sometimes recast as "college kids'll be college kids" (read: stupid).  It's going to happen, so why not just let it?  Although this kind of thinking has become popular, it represents a growing laxity in our moral thought; a gradual loosening of our collective will.  Our young people will rise to the levels that are expected of them, but rarely any farther.  Thus, having such an attitude is to condemn them to falling before it's even happened, all the while pretending like it's not a failure of morals to begin with.

[VUOR63]

How well would some I Can't Drink t-shirts go over at the ARC?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Breaking this up to avoid TL;DR.

As a "townie" in Valpo but having been a college kid in a very similar town/situation (and I am not talking about Ann Arbor or DC or Omaha or Tuscaloosa, but Delaware OH, just N of Columbus), I would reply to Paul thus:

--As just over a quarter of Porter County residents possess a bachelor's degree, I think part of the attitude of town-to-gown relations stems from America's healthy distrust of the (over-)educated (perhaps best illustrated by "Loser Makes Good", off Everclear's first album, World of Noise.)  This attitude is hardly unique to Valparaiso; but if you think only 1-in-4 is not a good ratio, you'd be hard-pressed to find a county in this country with over 1/3 of residents have degrees!  (Outside of the county in NM where Los Alamos is, of course, and the Beltway suburbs.)

--Still more of it is explained by the natural carpet-baggerness of college kids; they come in, are usually only surface-invested in the wider community during their time, and the vast majority leave.  It might be true that Valpo retains more than perhaps is average, due to things like Lutheranness, but even if so, it's a little like the argument as to who is likely to take better care of an apartment?  An owner, or the renter moving out soon?  Again, not specific to Valpo, but T2G relations in general.

--Another more specific reason is the 'privateness' of VU.  I guarantee you Lawrence, Kansas would not as readily wrap its arms around something like, say, Benedictine College, were the two institutions switched geographically.  Part of that is sectarian; part of that is size--it's a lot harder to ignore KU than VU.  But VU is a fairly selective (see reason 1 again), private, sectarian school on the smaller side when compared to larger public schools.  Not to mention geography...VU is on the SE corner of town; my college, although half the size of VU, and private and (nominally) sectarian--it's centrally located.  (Imagine VU sitting astride Lincolnway at Calumet/Michigan, etc.  Just a few blocks N and W of reality, but absolutely impossible to ignore and thus embedded in the heart/life of the city.)

--Finally, another part of it is simply ascribable to the fact that college kids, particularly this generation, have an inflated view of themselves and their place in the world.  It's kind of like the famous New Yorker cover by Steinberg "View of the World from 9th Ave".  But once people are out in the real world, they realize (hopefully!) they are no longer the center of the known universe.  I'm saying that college kids notice that the rest of the world doesn't find them as crucially irreplaceable as they find themselves to be; and it is this disconnect that fuels an idea like 'townies don't appreciate us'.

[truth219]

I love that shirt

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Finally:  how stupid do you have to be to throw a party that big and think you'll get away with it?

That's basically daring law enforcement to do its job. 

I'd bet $1k that had the party been even half as big, not only would there have been no arrests, there may well have been no intervention at all.

[valporun]

I guess I have two ways of looking at it, but no real purpose statement for either, but

1) Ignorance is not an excuse. (Think VU Honor Code, and ask Why Did You Drink?)

2)Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to live your life. (Thanks, Dean Wormer)

[bbtds]

Finally:  how stupid do you have to be to throw a party that big and think you'll get away with it?

That's basically daring law enforcement to do its job. 

I'd bet $1k that had the party been even half as big, not only would there have been no arrests, there may well have been no intervention at all.

As in most instances of this nature the initial intervention happened because they were making too much noise not because they were drinking. If you can drink and keep the noise down you usually don't get bothered by the police in the first place. Of course that is hard to do when students (or even middle aged adults for that matter) drink in excess.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I have to add that I completely understand Paul's desire to see better T2G relations.

Having lived in Tuscaloosa for several months, I was quite clear that no matter were I to spend the rest of my life there, I would always be an outsider.  I would add that I think it even more the case there than here, but I remember a girl who moved in in 4th grade still thought of as "the new girl" some six years later. (That's one of the beauties of living in Naples--it's like DC or Vegas: no one's from there, so no one's an outsider.)  I would think it tremendously frustrating were I to have made Valpo my home starting in college and feeling like an outsider for another 20 years or so.

I don't know how you go about rectifying that.  I do know there were more interactions in years past--witness the Choral Society, under Eldon Balko, and later under Dennis Friesen-Carper, which was a choir composed of community and university types, as emblematic of more cooperation.  I don't know that you can rectify that even with all the community outreach in the world, or at least all that there is time for.  It's hard to figure.

[FWalum]

Doesn't everyone here know why the relationship between VU and the City is the way it is?  Certainly everyone knows that the Lutherans out bid the KKK when they bought the university from the Browns and that the university was responsible for integrating the city and bringing the first black family to Valparaiso from Chicago's Cabrini-Green.  I was in Robert Cotton's class and freshman dorm at VU so maybe that is the only reason I am aware of the tension between the city and university at that time.  There was even a book written about this social experiment (I have it somewhere but can't remember the title).  This article pretty much explains the whole thing http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/a-struggled-balance-of-hope-and-fear/article_ad5fb23f-55de-5954-ae4c-73dc520d2198.html

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Whoa, you knew the first Cotton?  I went to school with Jamaal.

I was just about to post something about how town-gown relations can always be worse, much worse:  witness the book "Notre Dame Vs. the Klan", in which two days of street brawls between Catholic students and Klan evangelicals erupted.  (I believe it's written by an Valparaisan.)

In googling the book to remember the title (been a while since I read it) I found this disturbing story:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25680655/ns/us_news-life/t/university-says-sorry-janitor-over-kkk-book/#.VJGyIktp-LA

Yikes. 

[historyman]

(I believe it's written by an Valparaisan.)

So now we are Valpo-raisins?

[Kyle321n]

(I believe it's written by an Valparaisan.)

So now we are Valpo-raisins?

Valparaiso-ites? Valparaiso-ins? Valparaiso-uns?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

How about Valers?

[Kyle321n]

I kind of like Valpeople. We're all Valpeople, let's just get along!

[FWalum]

Whoa, you knew the first Cotton?  I went to school with Jamaal.

You are making it sound like WAY TOO LONG AGO.  I am not that old... or at least I don't feel that old. 

[valpo64]

Has there been any official comment from VU regarding the "drinking party" incident as it may apply to discipline for athletes, especially the basketball programs?  The silence is deafening!

[vu72]

Has there been any official comment from VU regarding the "drinking party" incident as it may apply to discipline for athletes, especially the basketball programs?  The silence is deafening!

I've been checking regularly with media sources and twitter etc.  Not a word to my knowledge.  Of course we will know something by game time but that's still a couple of days off.  No teams are playing because of finals and when they do start again it will only be the two basketball teams.

[wh]

Doesn't everyone here know why the relationship between VU and the City is the way it is?  Certainly everyone knows that the Lutherans out bid the KKK when they bought the university from the Browns and that the university was responsible for integrating the city and bringing the first black family to Valparaiso from Chicago's Cabrini-Green.  I was in Robert Cotton's class and freshman dorm at VU so maybe that is the only reason I am aware of the tension between the city and university at that time.  There was even a book written about this social experiment (I have it somewhere but can't remember the title).  This article pretty much explains the whole thing http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/a-struggled-balance-of-hope-and-fear/article_ad5fb23f-55de-5954-ae4c-73dc520d2198.html

Yes, Reiner and others associated with the university stirred the pot big time back in the day.  Reiner's view then was what today might be thought of as the liberal "inherent unfairness of white privilege" view.  It became his personal mission to change that dynamic by remodeling and refurbishing run down homes in the university area, selecting African American families from poverty stricken/high crime urban areas in Chicago, and infusing them into the Valpo community.  A fairly vocal group of city residents rose up in opposition, with some legitimacy IMO.  There were city leaders who essentially said, "Who died and put you in charge of social re-engineering for the city of Valparaiso?" and "What makes you feel you're qualified to roll out this social experiment in a way that will be a win-win for everyone?"  So, there you had it.  Two groups at loggerheads - the Reiner group that had a plan and didn't want to risk anyone or anything getting in the way of it, and people from the city who felt that Reiner had no idea what he was doing and didn't understand (or care) what the consequences of his actions might be to the city.  I should probably also note for context that this was only a short time after all the "white flight" from the city of Gary and the ensuing economic decline in a community only 25 miles from Valpo.

Fortunately, we have long since moved past that moment.  Over time Valpo has become a much more accepting community, and I think the University has learned to work with the city instead of independently to help create a more racially sensitive, accepting environment.  That said, I don't agree that that issue continues to drive city resident opposition to the university, except for maybe some old timers.  I think there are some anti-VU issues; I just don't think that's one of them.  Some of the issues are far more superficial, as LAA already noted, but there they're out there nonetheless.   

[vu72]

Doesn't everyone here know why the relationship between VU and the City is the way it is?  Certainly everyone knows that the Lutherans out bid the KKK when they bought the university from the Browns and that the university was responsible for integrating the city and bringing the first black family to Valparaiso from Chicago's Cabrini-Green.  I was in Robert Cotton's class and freshman dorm at VU so maybe that is the only reason I am aware of the tension between the city and university at that time.  There was even a book written about this social experiment (I have it somewhere but can't remember the title).  This article pretty much explains the whole thing http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/a-struggled-balance-of-hope-and-fear/article_ad5fb23f-55de-5954-ae4c-73dc520d2198.html

Yes, Reiner and others associated with the university stirred the pot big time back in the day.  Reiner's view then was what today might be thought of as the liberal "inherent unfairness of white privilege" view.  It became his personal mission to change that dynamic by remodeling and refurbishing run down homes in the university area, selecting African American families from poverty stricken/high crime urban areas in Chicago, and infusing them into the Valpo community. A fairly vocal group of city residents rose up in opposition, with some legitimacy IMO.  There were city leaders who essentially said, "Who died and put you in charge of social re-engineering for the city of Valparaiso?" and "What makes you feel you're qualified to roll out this social experiment in a way that will be a win-win for everyone?"  So, there you had it.  Two groups at loggerheads - the Reiner group that had a plan and didn't want to risk anyone or anything getting in the way of it, and people from the city who felt that Reiner had no idea what he was doing and didn't understand (or care) what the consequences of his actions might be to the city.  I should probably also note for context that this was only a short time after all the "white flight" from the city of Gary and the ensuing economic decline in a community only 25 miles from Valpo.

Fortunately, we have long since moved past that moment.  Over time Valpo has become a much more accepting community, and I think the University has learned to work with the city instead of independently to help create a more racially sensitive, accepting environment.  That said, I don't agree that that issue continues to drive city resident opposition to the university, except for maybe some old timers.  I think there are some anti-VU issues; I just don't think that's one of them.  Some of the issues are far more superficial, as LAA already noted, but there they're out there nonetheless.   wh points out correctly that it was the timing more then anything.  Today no one would even notice.

I wonder if those same people who were so concerned with "social engineering" feel the same way about Habitat for Humanity.  I mean doesn't Habitat build or refurbish homes for underprivileged folks?  There is little doubt in my mind that the issue had little to d with "social re-engineering" and everything to do with "race redistribution"  If Walt and Lois had installed a struggling white family in that first house, do you really think anyone would have noticed or cared?

[wh]

If Walt and Lois had installed a struggling white family in that first house, do you really think anyone would have noticed or cared?

Of course not. But, for that very reason every effort should have been made to build partnerships in the community before they acted.  That's the tough stuff that they didn't make a big enough effort to do. Instead, they created a lot of ill will that could have been avoided.  The bottom line is their motives were wonderful but their methods left something to be desired.

[FWalum]

That said, I don't agree that that issue continues to drive city resident opposition to the university, except for maybe some old timers.  I think there are some anti-VU issues; I just don't think that's one of them.

I think that you are probably right in saying that racial sensitivity and social engineering is not the current issue driving the opposition. The opposition, or we versus them mentality, probably has been there since the beginning of the school in one form or another. Almost every college town has "it". I do think that it was a seminal event that causes a festering mistrust of the university community, and those priviledged enough to work at or attend VU.

My family has owned a summer home on a lake in Steuben County for about 75 years and the issues are similar, the Angola town's people call us "lakers" and the anti-laker attitude is almost always on display despite the fact that the "lakers" pay more than half the counties taxes and many ot the town's people owe their livelihood to those 5 month a year residents. All of these groups have their own agendas.