Trust me...those houses are not big enough to accomodate the number of people they jam into them....A. And B...I think that the issue is not that of students having the ability to commune and consume alcohol in their own space that they pay for...I don't think 100 people lived in that house nor do I think the residence of the houses that got busted had 100 "close friends" over for a get together. If I recall...they were also charged because they were charging for alcohol without a liqour license. So I think this goes a bit beyond a simple gathering of friends & a few drinks.

And although WCU, the state school that it is, may not be so affluent...I'm sure those who are paying their way through financial aid & working 2-3 jobs were most likely waiting on tables when this was going on.

but if the kids with $$ were the only ones partying, why were they charging people to get in? :p sorry, couldn't resist.

Considering that our state loses thousands of young people every year for a variety of reasons, the constant squelching of amusement in all forms being one of them, I just think there are other things we need to worry about.

Danielle

If you want to turn this into a debate on the safety of college parties vs the safety of bars/clubs then I think you are betting on the wrong horse. The bar in RI just had their 100th cauaulty last night. There were dozens of people killed in Chicage earlier this year at a club.

Danielle,

I agree with you.

*I often read about "emergency" exits in fraternity houses being blocked. This is more common than you might believe. If not by a mattress, then by trash cans or garbage or whatever.
*It is often that smoke alarms are turned off during parties. Huh?
*If a club has more than it's legal limit, the owners can be charged.
*Many, if not most, clubs have the majority on one floor.
*Clubs are supposed to have adequate exits. Greek houses aren't operating under the same rules. They only need exits for the number of people living there.
*Multi-story houses invite accidents such as falling down stairs, etc.
*It's too bad 18 year old adults can't drink -- but it's the law.
*Clubs are licensed and liable leagally for who they serve.

Frankly, I never thought much about any of this stuff until I started receiving Risk Management info from NIC, etc. The thought of cramming so many drinking and possibly smoking people into a small space with smoke detectors disabled is scary.

Let's be honest. Let's think about it like adults. Any of the above are stupid by themselves. There's no defense for it.

The owners of the clubs alluded to are facing charges, as they should.

Are your chapter officers, advisors, nationals and parents ready to face charges as well?