April
      1,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Barn
      committee
      passes
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
     
     
      CRYSTAL
      DAWNCROSSAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      March
      10,
      1997,
      the
     
     
      Barn
      committee
      passed
      a
      new
     
     
      rule
      stating
      that
      any
      underage
     
     
      individuals
      who
      wished
      to
      at-
     
     
      tend
      Barn
      events
      must
      be
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      students
      and
      be
      able
     
     
      to
      provide
      identification
      prov-
     
     
      ing
      so.
      This
      same
      rule
      also
     
     
      allows
      for
      anyone
      19
      or
      older
     
     
      to
      attend
      Barn
      events
      whether
     
     
      or
      not
      they
      are
      post-secondary
     
     
      students.
      This
      new
      rule
      has
     
     
      caused
      considerable
      amounts
     
     
      of
      heated
      discussions
      on
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      and
      amongst
      non
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      students.
      The
      “17+
     
     
      Rule”
      raises
      a
      number
      of
      is-
     
     
      sues
      pertinent
      to
      both
      non
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      students
      and
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      students
      alike.
     
     
      The
      actual
      rule
      was
     
     
      made
      by
      a
      Barn
      committee
     
     
      which
      is
      active
      throughout
      the
     
     
      year,
      according
      to
      Panther
     
     
      Lounge
      manager
      Cara
     
     
      Hedefine.
      This
      committee
     
     
      makes
      decisions
      on
      pricing,
     
     
      admission
      and
      other
      lounge
      is-
     
     
      sues.
      The
      Student
      Union’s
     
     
      spokesperson
      Chris
      Gray
      was
     
     
      unavailable
      for
      an
      interview,
     
     
      however
      UPEI
      security
      and
     
     
      students
      were,
      and
      they
      were
     
     
      more
      than
      willing
      to
      discuss
     
     
      this
      issue.
     
     
      The
      ‘decision
      to
      ‘make
     
     
      this
      rule
      has
      seemingly
      sprung
     
     
      from
      several
      security
      incidents
     
     
      which
      occurred
      at
      the
      I
      Mother
     
     
      Earth
      concert.
      During
      this
     
     
      concert,
      four
      arrests
      were
     
     
      made.
      Of
      these
      arrests,
      one
     
     
      individual
      (who
      was
      not
      from
     
     
      UPEI)
      was
      19
      and
      the
      others
     
     
      were
      17
      and
      18
      year
      old
      high
     
     
      school
      students.
      According
      to
     
     
      UPEI
      security,
      there
      was
      al-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cohol
      involved
      in
      each
      case.
      It
     
    
   
   
    
     
      is
      understandable
      that
      the
      19
     
     
      year
      old
      could
      be
      served
      alco-
     
     
      hol
      at
      the
      concert.
      The
      main
     
     
      issue,
      however,
      lies
      in
      the
      three
     
     
      underage
      cases.
      A
      number
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      individuals
      seemed-to
      be
      under
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      impression
      that
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      had
      been
      issued
      “wet”
     
     
      tickets
      and
      were
      served
      alco-
     
     
      hol
      at
      the
      Barn.
      This,
      how-
     
     
      ever,
      Was
      not
      the
      case.
      Secu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      admission
      policy
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rity
      stated
      that
      the
      students
     
     
      arrived
      at
      the
      Barn
      intoxicated.
     
    

    
     
      Does
      the
      fact
      that
      three
     
     
      underage
      students
      arrived
      at
     
     
      the
      Barn
      intoxicated
      and
     
     
      caused
      trouble
      give
      just
      cause
     
     
      for
      the
      “17+
      Rule”?
      Some
     
     
      UPEI
      students
      do
      not
      think
      so.
     
     
      The
      general
      consensus
      was
     
     
      that
      ifthe
      people
      arrived
      drunk,
     
     
      they
      should
      not
      have
      been
      ad-
     
     
      mitted
      into
      the
      concert;
      after
     
     
      all,
      their
      ticket
      and
      identifica-
     
     
      tion
      would
      show
      them
      to
      be
     
     
      underage.
      The
      other
      question
     
     
      raised
      by
      UPEI
      students
      con-
     
     
      cerned
      the
      other
      underage
     
     
      attendees:
      how
      many
      under-
     
     
      age
      people
      went
      to
      the
      concert
     
     
      that
      did
      not
      cause
      trouble;
      were
     
     
      thethree
      troublemakers
      enough
     
     
      in
      number
      in
      comparison
      to
      the
     
     
      others
      to
      merit
      the
      “17+
      Rule’?
     
    

    
     
      Other
      student
      comments
     
     
      seemed
      to
      support
      a
      different
     
     
      side
      of
      the
      argument
      alto-
     
     
      gether.
      One
      student
      believes
     
     
      that
      a
      university
      event
      is
      not
     
     
      the
      place
      for
      high
      school
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      to
      begin
      with,
      while
      an-
     
     
      other
      student
      thought
      that
      if
     
     
      Barn
      events
      are
      going
      to
      be
     
     
      limited
      to
      one
      side
      of
      the
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      line,
      it
      should
      also
     
     
      be
      limited
      to
      the
      other
      side.
      In
     
     
      other
      words,
      if
      Barn
      events
     
     
      are
      not
      going
      to
      be
      open
      to
     
     
      underage
      non
      post-secondary
     
     
      students,
      these
      events
      should
     
     
      also
      be
      closed
      to
      non
      post-
     
     
      secondary
      individuals
      who
      are
     
     
      of
      age.
     
    

    
     
      ;
      UPEI
      Security
      believes
     
     
      that
      the
      “17+
      Rule”
      should
      cut
     
     
      down
      on
      the
      number
      of
      secu-
     
     
      rity
      incidents
      at
      Barn
      events;
     
     
      however,
      Security
      also
      be-
     
     
      lieves
      that
      there
      are
      other
      pos-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _Sible
      alternatives
      to
      the
      “17+
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rule.”
      The
      most
      plausible
      al-
     
     
      ternative
      would
      be
      to
      have
      a
     
     
      strictly
      enforced
      sign-in
      policy.
     
     
      This
      would
      involve
      a
      UPEI
     
     
      student
      signing
      in
      guests
      aged
     
     
      17+
      as
      well
      as
      19+
      non-UPEI
     
     
      students.
      The
      guests
      would
      be
     
     
      required
      to
      leave
      a
      piece
      of
     
     
      photo
      ID
      which
      would
      be
      re-
     
     
      turned
      upon
      being
      signed
      out
     
     
      by
      the
      UPEI
      student.
      The
     
     
      UPEI
      student
      signing
      in
      guests
     
    
   
   
    
     
      would
      assume
      full
      responsibil-
     
     
      ity
      for
      his/her
      guests.
      Having
     
     
      to
      accept
      full
      responsibility
      for
     
     
      guests
      would
      encourage
      UPEI
     
     
      students
      to
      be
      cautious
      about
     
     
      who
      they
      sign
      in
      and
      would
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      also
      encourage
      them
      to
      “keep
     
     
      an
      eye”
      on
      their
      guests.
     
     
      Although
      Security
      be-
     
     
      lieves
      there
      are
      other
      alterna-
     
     
      tives
      to
      the
      “17+
      Rule”,
      Direc-
     
     
      tor
      of
      Security
      John
      McEntee
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      supports
      the
      Barn
      committee’s
     
     
      decision
      to
      make
      a
      change
     
     
      which
      will
      prevent
      more
      secu-
     
     
      rity
      incidents.