Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 8, 1993 TAG: 9302080033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BEER STILL FLOWS, DESPITE NEW RULE
STRICTER REGULATION of beer kegs has had some unexpected - and unwelcome - results in college communities.
It's been a little more than three weeks since the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, in an effort to curb underage drinking, began requiring beer drinkers to register when they rent kegs.
Since then, demand for the metal, multigallon beer barrels has been down in college towns such as Blacksburg and Radford.
A good sign? Not really. The number of 12-packs and cases being sold has gone up, said Barry Weddle, special ABC agent for Blacksburg and Floyd counties.
"It's a way people are getting around the law," Weddle said. "They've found another loophole."
With the increase in consumption of beer in bottles and cans, there has been another unforeseen result: an increase in litter.
ABC agents and police hope the regulation will raise consciousness among those who purchase kegs and put their names and addresses on the line. The regulation is meant to make people think twice before sharing beer with underage friends and to create a paper trail so a keg can be traced back to one person.
But it may be some time before retailers and law enforcers can tell if the law is having a positive effect.
The immediate reaction seemed to be confusion about the regulation, which was passed by the ABC Board last fall and went into effect Jan. 13.
Tom Goodale, vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech, said he's received calls from students asking: What does the regulation mean?
Even some retailers were confused: At least one business in the valley waited until Feb. 1 before requiring keg registration.
Some students fear that signing their name means police can walk into their homes and their parties, he said. That's incorrect.
"This law doesn't violate the Fourth Amendment," said Sgt. Bruce Bradbury, a crime prevention officer with the Blacksburg Police Department. "We have to have a legal reason to be in somebody's house. People think `Oh, God, if I sign my name, the police will be in my house.' There are a lot of misconceptions."
The regulation is meant to have something of a psychological effect, Bradbury said. It makes people realize they have responsibilities. And it lets police keep tabs on where large parties may be: Five kegs at one address is a good indicator.
"It gives us some things to watch out for," he said. "Of course if there's no enforcement it will be just like anything else: People will ignore it."
Lisa Fyock, a freshman at Radford from Richmond, said the law has increased her awareness about penalties for underage drinking.
"I think the chances of getting busted are more likely now, especially with the new keg law," she said. "It's scaring lots of people. I'm not drinking."
Fyock said she has been to only one fraternity party since the new law was passed. The kegs had been replaced with cans.
Partiers can get to the beer quicker that way, she said. "I know that's horrible to say," she said. "But no one has to wait in line anymore."
The ABC Board passed the regulation after the General Assembly twice rejected a version introduced by Del. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights.
"My bill was tougher than the current regulation," Cox said.
It drew support from PTAs and organizations that advocate cautious drinking. He blames its defeat on the fact that he was a Republican freshman in a house dominated by Democrats.
To a college student, a keg means a party. "There is less control with a keg than with a bottle or a can," Goodale said. Students can lose track of their drinking.
Will the new law dry up the problem?
"That remains to be seen," Goodale said. "But it will send a strong message."
But in these early weeks, students still seem to be buying, albeit in a different form.
Weddle, the ABC agent, said the increase in consumption of beer-by-the-can "wasn't totally unexpected. But it still surprised me somewhat."
Meanwhile, at the Hokie House Restaurant in Blacksburg, keg sales have declined by about 80 percent, said manager Julie Willard.
"It's basically due to the law," she said. "Last year at this time we were going through many more kegs than we are now. Kids say it's easier to buy a case than be responsible for people and sign their name on a piece of paper."
Some students who have reserved kegs have walked out when Willard has asked them to sign the registration law.
"They read everything and said, `You've got to be kidding,' " Willard said. "They didn't really know how much trouble they could get into" if they were caught breaking the law.
Someone who allows an underage person to drink from a keg could be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, Weddle said.
Litter a problem, too
At Radford University, a recent meeting between school officials and townspeople brought up a new concern: litter.
Apparently, now that students have moved away from kegs, cans and bottles are ending up in front yards, said Bonnie Hurlburt, dean of students.
Two Radford groups are trying to combat the problem.
The off-campus student council is working on recycling awareness, said Scott Wallis, the group's president.
And BACCHUS, which stands for "Boost the Alcohol Consciousness Concerning Health of University Students," is considering making up "party packs" that would include three free trash bags, a list of recycling centers, condoms, literature and key chains, said Amy Boles, a student who is the group's president.
There are fears that the law will have other side effects, too - such as an increase in liquor sales. Boles views that as more dangerous because students have less experience with it than with beer.
"I think people know their limits with beer," she said. "It makes it scarier for me if people are having grain punch parties more than if they're drinking beer from a keg."
But for those who stick to beer, officials and administrators are hoping it can help.
Students can keep better track of how much they drink if they can count cans rather than swigs from a keg, Goodale said.
And it may help curb the multikeg block parties that attract underage drinkers and have had town officials scurrying for solutions.
And because cans are more expensive, students may end up drinking less, Goodale said.
Most people seem hopeful, if a little skeptical.
"I don't know if this will help the partying problem," said Radford's Wallis. "It doesn't seem to be stopping anyone from doing what they usually do on a weekend night."