Party rep decreases, alumni say

Megan Long, 36, of Baltimore, Md., who graduated in 1997, said when she attended the school it was difficult for underage students to enter bars on Main Street.

“It was very difficult. I heard some bars were harder than others,” she said. “We didn’t really try until we were 21.”

Rollino said he thinks it is nearly impossible for underage students to get inside a bar on Main Street today.

“I’ve never seen a school better at detecting fake IDs,” he said. “I’ve heard at [Klondike Kates] every ID taken is 10 bucks, so bouncers have incentives.”

Lauren Hess, 32, of Bear, who graduated in 2001, has worked at Klondike Kate’s on Main Street as a server since 1999 until she was promoted to general manager in 2006.

Hess said during her time at the restaurant, employees have always been instructed to not serve alcohol to underage minors.

She said the restaurant has an extensive process for checking for false identification. She confirmed employees are offered a $10 reward for each one collected. After being confiscated, she said fake IDs are used as examples when training new employees.

Class of 2008 graduate Nick Fader, of Newark, has worked at Grotto Pizza for seven years and said bartenders and bouncers risk getting fired if they don’t confiscate fake IDs, but can also receive incentives for removing them from circulation. He said some bars give money or drinks to bouncers who catch students attempting to use fake IDs.

Fader said he thinks the police crackdown on house parties and outdoor drinking events has been good business for bars.

“The party scene has deteriorated,” he said. “When I was in school here you could party in the dorms. We had Public Safety to worry about, but not the Newark police.”

Barton said the increased enforcement of university policies has drawn more positive attention to the university than in the past.

“When I went here, it was a good school,” he said. “My perception now 20 years out—it’s a great school.”