UPUA President Gavin Keirans was cited in May for attempting to use a fake ID to get into Indigo Night Club, according to an article published this morning by the Collegian. However, after he completes ten hours of community service, the incident will be stricken from his record.

“I regret having my name involved in this,” Keirans (senior-business management) said. “I want to get back to what I love doing — that’s working for the students.”

Keirans was 20 at the time of the incident, but has since turned 21.

State College establishments are notoriously strict about not serving underage students, even in restaurants. Fake IDs are a poor investment due to the scrutiny bouncers give them. This all stands in contrast to many other college towns and cities. (For instance, Madison, at least until recently.)

Needless to say, a restrictive downtown scene pushes students into State College, to the land of frat ragers and apartment parties.

It’s counter-productive in that sense, and it all ties into something that we’ve brought up before: the backwardness of alcohol policies.

Damon Sims, who is entering his sophomore year as VP for Student Life, seems to agree with us. At a fireside chat he attended last fall,

“Colleges and universities across the country have thrown millions of dollars at [preventing dangerous drinking],” Sims said. “I think if anyone tells you they’ve made a dent, they’re lying to you.”

He added that research has shown that lowering the drinking age would not necessarily decrease dangerous drinking and advocated for “a wholly new approach” to the issue.

In contrast, President Spanier abstained from the Amethyst Initative, which is the most telling indicator of the university’s institutional position on the issue.

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