Parties serving alcohol to minors are not on the increase this semester, although Carbondale Police say it is to soon to tell if underage drinking is on the rise since the bar-entry age was raised to twenty.

Although Beach Bumz owner Roland Davis blames the closing of his establishment, a non-alcoholic juice bar, in part on competition from house parties, Carbondale Police Chief, Don Strom said there are no more house parties now than before the 20-year-old entry age was implemented.

Strom said that he knows there has not been an increase in house parties this semester because there have been few complaints coming into the police department about them.

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Strom said it is to soon to tell what effects raising the bar-entry age has had on underage drinking.

I do know that drinking has not been lasting into the late night evening as much as last year in Carbondale, Strom said.

In July, August and September of 1994 there were 163 arrests for underage drinking, five for false I.D.’s and 36 for underage access to bars made by the Carbondale police. In 1995, there have been 79 underage drinking arrests, 17 false I.D. arrests and 43 underage-access-to-bar arrests. The information for 1995 does not include this past weekend Steve Odum, a Carbondale Police officer in records said.

According to University Police records, underage drinking arrests are on the rise.

The University Police arrest records show that in 1994 there were 11 arrests for underage drinking in the months of July, August and September. In 1995, there have been 24 underage arrests in these months made by the University Police.

It is to soon to tell if this rise is related to the increase of the bar-entry age, Sam Jordan, University Police Director said.

It is to soon to tell this year, Jordan said. There is not enough information to support or not support that underage drinking has increased because of the bar-entry age increasing.

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Strom said now that the bar-entry age has increased to twenty, students can and should find alternatives to drinking.

Students began drinking in high school. They just didn’t start because they came to SIUC. And they do not have to continue just because they are in college, Strom said. There are alternatives to drinking in Carbondale. Students could have went to the balloon festival as an alternative, or go to student sponsored events on campus.

House Parties on the SIUC campus have not increased or decreased this semester Harvey Welch Jr., vice President of Student Affairs said.

We have gotten requests for permission to have parties on campus like at Greek Row, Welch said. But no more than usual.