Officials and students agree there is no way to stop underage drinking completely, but both city government and the University administration have taken strong steps toward controlling the problem.

Most noticeable this year was an increase in the bar-entry age, leaving students under 20 to walk the streets in search of alternative entertainment.

Although some SIUC students may miss the bars, Carbondale city officials and University administrators defend actions they have taken in response to underage drinking.

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Carbondale City Manager Jeff Doherty said he wants to emphasize that the city’s efforts to curb the problem, including raising the bar entry age and restricting keg sales, are in compliance with state law.

In Carbondale, we are basically condoning underage drinking with an entry age under 21, Doherty said. We adopted the keg regulations to help in the overall effort to enhance the law.

Still, the city does not expect the problem to disappear. Doherty said they are aware that if underage students are permitted into the bars, it is likely they will be served alcohol.

We didn’t expect to eliminate it (underage drinking). We’re not naive enough to think that, he said. There are state liquor licenses that do a poor job of restricting themselves.

The council has already passed a city plan which will raise the bar-entry age to 21 in July 1996.

Doherty said people need to understand the history of the Halloween tradition in Carbondale and the role it has played in the city’s decisions regarding alcohol.

Many people are probably penalized by the actions of a few, which goes back to Halloween, he said. It’s a strong tradition.

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Carbondale’s Halloween party is nationally known as a near-riot where thousands of weekend revelers block Illinois avenue for hours Friday and Saturday evening. Police arrest dozens each night for underage consumption of alcohol.

In response to the Halloween party, the city and University formed the mayoral/presidential task force on Halloween. Doherty said members of the Mayoral/Presidential Halloween Task force all agreed that, action had to be taken.

The task force recommended several measures to put an end to the party, including raising the bar entry age, regulating kegs, and closing the University over Halloween weekend. The city and University adopted all the measures.

SIUC President John Guyon said he speculates the new restrictions, including the new entry age, will help reduce the amount of underage drinking.

Guyon said the impact of the problem reaches far beyond inconveniencing students who can no longer drink at the bars. He expressed concern about the University’s reputation associated with underage drinking.

SIUC’s image can have a serious and sometimes long-term effect on students, he said. Professionals who see the University’s name on a graduate’s resume should not think negatively, Guyon said.

(SIUC’s image) has a serious effect on everybody, he said. It influences careers over a lifetime.

Although an individual’s skills and talent can always overshadow a school’s image, Guyon said the reputation of a university does make a difference.

In the case of SIUC, Guyon said he could not accurately evaluate how reputation affects the University financially or in terms of enrollment.

There is no dollar amount or number of students that makes real sense, he said. Some students come here for those reasons rather than stay away.

The alcohol problem for universities in general has grown in the last decade, and the impact is the same everywhere, Guyon said.

It’s a national issue. I don’t want to single out SIUC, he said.

Part of the solution, according to Guyon, is making sure the University offers the kinds of things students want to do, aside from drinking.

The Late Nite program was established this year to attract underage students to non-alcoholic entertainment on campus, and Guyon said the program will continue for at least a year.

The Friday concert went very well, he said. We’ll continue to provide those types of events.