Observational Studies

Today was an exciting day where we played against our sister university, UCLA. This tailgating experience had heightened drinking compared to the ones before this. As usual, there was no regulation of alcohol consumption or possession in the parking lots. People were generally more boisterous and loud than previous football games. This could be due to the later start time (4:30pm) of the football game. People seemed very happy and excited but generally less respectful of those around them. I was bumped into several times by people who were drunk without hearing any apologies. Lots of uncoordination was observed among the fans. There was a little police presence in the form of UCPD and they stood around the connection between the Kleeberger parking lot and Memorial Stadium. Though no problems were observed, this type of pre-game drinking for people who are probably going to party afterwards could be harmful.

A very noticeable difference between this game and others is that the crowd that was tailgating was far less familial than the earlier games. Fewer infants and toddlers could be seen. Moreover, children were far fewer and less supervised at the UCLA tailgating. Nearby is the Fun Zone where vendors come out and sell food. The largest vendor is one called the Beer Garden which takes on its namesake by selling beer. It wasn’t certain who exactly these people are, that is, whether it’s a company, university-affiliated, or part of the Athletic Department. Beer was $6 a cup and an efficient form of ID-checked was enforced. Patrons were checked for IDs in a separate location and had wristbands applied to them. At a separate table, you had to buy vouchers at $6 each if you intended to purchase a beer. You then redeemed this voucher along with proof-of-age in the form of the wristband at a separate location to get your beer. This slows down the ready access of alcohol because patrons who wish to drink more have to wait in two lines in separate locations.

We were at Tightwad Hill from 5:15 to 8:30pm. This being an important game, attendance at Tightwad Hill was larger than usual. Upon entering, over 100 people were present with the number maxing at around 150 during the most intense part of the game. About three-quarters were male. When we entered we were greeted by a keg that was presumably dragged up the hill. It was near the common entrance to the clearing so everyone walked by it. This was conducive to drinking though it was off to the side in relation to where everyone was sitting so it’s location likely didn’t encourage binge drinking. This experience was much more crowded than the others.

Aside from several people bringing sandwiches for themselves, no food was present on the hill. One could not get around without bumping into a few people. Drugs and alcohol were present with most people at least buzzed, but many also drunk. The red clothing incident occurred again. Unlike the conflict that accrued during the match against ASU (23 Sept 2006), the person wearing red simply relocated to a different part of the hill. Most of the fans were rooting for Cal but there were some UCLA fans as well. They were generally quiet seeing that Cal fans were yelling chants including “Fuck… You… CLA!” Things at this gathering did not erupt into chaos but were definitely more out-of-control than previous tailgating experiences.

This is a party that advertised itself as a “crazy-pants” themed-birthday party with a band that would be playing throughout the night. Guests were required to come to the house prior to the house party to pick up a wristband, which would grant them entry to the party. If you were friends of the tenants or the birthday boy (who did not live in the house), you were placed on a special list and your wristband was free. Otherwise, you had to pay three dollars to get a wristband.

Walking up to the house on Saturday night, it was pretty quiet. It had been raining pretty heavily, so there were relatively few people on the street searching for a party. There were a few guys standing out front regulating the entryway and checking for wristbands. There was only one door to get to the bottom floor where the band would play, which looked like a renovated garage. Guests only went in the main part of the house to use the bathroom or to hang out with one of the tenants.

While the band was setting up, only about 30 people were standing around sipping drinks. At the entrance there were two kegs open for anyone’s consumption and about 70 cans of beer. There was also some hard liquor available in the bedroom of one of the hosts and access was restricted to direct friends of that particular host. Although this limited mainstream access to the liquor, there was no age restriction.

They didn’t seem to have too many problems with random people searching for a party, and on occasion, one of the house tenants would go outside to send people away and settle any disturbances. I don’t think that there were many stragglers because I didn’t see anyone inside throughout the night without a wristband. Once the band began to play, the party began to get really crowded. There were easily 170 people by 11:30pm.

Although it seemed to be under control, there was poor ventilation and it seemed like they had definitely reached the holding capacity of the room. There was a lot of bottled water brought down to the party around 11pm, but I don’t think many people knew about it. A lot of the guests looked like they might be getting dehydrated and I noticed the host distributing some water bottles throughout the crowd.

The behavior of the crowd was fair considering its size. No one seemed to be dangerously intoxicated, the most outrageous behavior being table-dancing. Overall, the crowd seemed to be preoccupied with the band. I went outside for some fresh air a few times and noticed that the band could be heard down the street. The sidewalk in front of the house was littered with red cups and I think I saw someone pee in the neighbor’s bush. It may have even been the neighbor peeing in their own bush because I know that some of the students who lived nearby attended the party, too. The cops finally broke up the party at 12:45pm because of a noise disturbance. The band members and the tenants quickly got everyone under control, and then dispersed the crowd in an orderly fashion in about fifteen minutes. The house was then placed under second-response.

I observed a large co-op’s party, where the party was composed of 5 different locations around the co-op. I saw fliers for this party posted around the co-op and there was no regulation of the party. If you know someone in the party who could open the gate, then you could get into the party.

I didn’t join in on the party until 10:30pm, at which time there were maybe 70 people already present. The vast majority was male, probably around 50. The types of alcohol being served were mixed drinks or beer and there was no regulation on alcohol. Of the 5 different locations, only 1 was very difficult to walk around and this was the location with a dance floor. I noticed that this was also the most aggressive location, with people yelling at each other outside and a drunk party host threatening to fight people.

There was 1 keg present at the party, which was being carried around by a pair of males. There seemed to be no short supply of beer, so a lot of people were doing keg stands, the majority of who were male. People were encouraged to do keg stands as long as they could and a lot of them were vomiting. Towards the end of the party, I counted 30 people present, with only 2 females (myself included).

The only food at the party was a box of Cheez-its I was carrying around, which people were eating a lot of. I also got offered some spicy chicken wings. Having more food at parties definitely seems like a good idea!

At a smaller co-op close to campus, a co-op member was having a birthday party. I heard about this party through facebook, where it was listed as an open invitation party. I seized the opportunity to observe a co-op party in a smaller co-op house, so I entered the party around 11:30pm.

There was no one checking people at the door and the door was wide open, with people loitering around the front of the house. I went into the party without a hassle. There were about 100 people at the party, with about 70% being male. When I walked around, I noticed several empty hard liquor bottles on the kitchen tables. There was a room for dancing and the keg was also in this room. A lot of guys were crowded around the keg and watching the dance floor, which was mostly occupied by girls dancing with each other. Off to the side of the dance floor was a balcony, where maybe 20 males were socializing and smoking.

Around midnight, the party ran out of alcohol. I left shortly at 12:30am when the party dwindled down to about 70 people.

This fraternity party took place on a Saturday night on the North side of campus.  Upon entry at around 9:45pm there were 20 people.  The gender composition was balanced with an equal number of males and females.  The party itself was meant to be well-advertised and populated but not many people showed up.  At its peak the frat attracted no more than 60 people.  Cal ID-checking was performed at the front entrance but this doesn’t mean age was verified.  Upon entering the house I was greeted by alcoholic drinks.  The alcohol present was beer, wine, mixed drinks, jello shots, tequila, rum, vodka, and whiskey.  There was way too much alcohol out with no food or non-alcoholic drinks to counter it.

Because of the huge presence of alcohol at the party, people became drunk very quickly.  Most people who were drinking became obviously intoxicated.  One of the frat members became so drunk he was issuing death threats to other people and running the risk of becoming too aggressive.  He was quickly contained by the other frat members.  Aside from aggression, there was uninhibited sexual behavior at the party.  People were making out with random strangers they had just met.  By the ending of the night, a couple people were pretty sick and had to be helped home.

Most interesting was the fact that very few people were dancing.  Other than a few select songs, the dance floor was mostly empty even though it was set up really nicely.  People simply showed up to drink lots of alcohol and maybe talk.  You could see the look of stupor in many people’s faces.  Some guests were just sitting as if they were half-dead.  Some of the “raging parties” of a university are actually events where people get drunk to let loose and pass the time.  I would imagine it’s in large part due to the stress incurred during the school week.  It’s a shame people can’t do fun things with their free time.

House and apartment parties are quite common on College Ave. This one was a birthday party that occurred on a Saturday night (Dec 2nd). There were not a lot of parties going on this particular weekend so some of the party organizers were slightly worried that too many people would come. A guest list was made and access was generally limited to people on the guest list and a “few” that they brought along. The front door to the house was locked and the door to the unit was closed but unlocked. I entered the party early (seeing as it was at my house, but hosted by a housemate) The back door was unlocked and closed but access was not a big concern through this door because it opens to the backyard and nothing else since it was blocked off from the outside. There were about 75 people at the peak time around 11:30pm - Midnight split evenly between males and females. A lot of food was available since it was intended to be a cocktail party. Hard liquor with juice and wine were mainly consumed and openly available but beer was limited. Since access to the party was well regulated, the alcohol and food were not. The neighbors were notified of the party ahead of time. Our particular house is well isolated since Newman Hall church is on one side and another student house separated by a driveway is on the other. The backyard provides ample distance from neighbors to the rear of the house. Most people stayed inside except those who wanted to smoke or step out for phone calls. Several people were going in and out of the back door at all times - one person stood in the kitchen and took it upon himself to tell everyone that walked by to drink more. I later found out that no one in my house knew who he was. Despite seemingly good regulation, a few random people still managed to get in. I left the party at 1-2am at which point the apartment was very messy with sticky floors, however no physical damage was done to our property. A few people got sick from overdrinking but they made it to the bathroom and got assistance. Several of my housemates and friends complained of hangovers the next day which seems more prevalent when wine is consumed in excess?

In comparison to the tailgating areas and the Fun Zone, the Big Game attendees at Tightwad Hill were, as a group, more unruly and intoxicated (about 30%). The people closest to us each drank at least three cans of beer. Because it is not officially on campus or associated with the stadium, there was no visible law enforcement presence, and this might have contributed. There was considerable profanity and stumbling - particularly dangerous on a hill that even I found difficult to climb in tennis shoes and totally sober - and heckling of Stanford fans.

There were about 150 people there, and more than 80% of them were male. Less than a quarter were college students, and the remainder were almuni of all ages. There was a split between students and alumni, and alumni seemed more ready to socialize with people they did not come with.

One incident worth noting: Like they had many times before, the crowd yelled at one lady in a red shirt to “take of that red shirt!”. She and her friend laughed it off and started to walk away. Then, a man known as the “General”, a regular presence on Tightwad Hill, spat on her and his friend threw beer on her from his can. The crowd then turned on the General, telling him to “take off that Yankees hat!”, and he got defensive. One man came up to him and started picking a fight. The two men had to be held apart, and they threw beer at each other quite aggressively. They finally calmed down, but the incident created a big stir so it doesn’t seem to be a usual occurrence.

In addition to tailgating and the Fun Zone, many Big Game attendees chose to go to the Bear’s Lair the morning of the game. Given the large crowd of about 100 patrons, ranging evenly in age from 21 to about 60, the bar followed RBS rules fairly well. They had a system in place for regulating age: IDs were checked at the outside entrance and wristbands were given to those over 21. At the bar, only people with wristbands could order drinks. With such a crowd, however, it would have been very easy for someone of age to buy alcohol for someone underage.

Food was present and reasonably priced ($2.00-7.00), and only beer and alcopops were served, two factors that discourage excessive drinking. However, the servers did not dissuade anyone from buying drinks and did not refuse service to some patrons who were mildly but clearly drunk. Also encouraging rowdiness was the loud music that was hard to hear and talk over. There was one incident where a man encouraged two women with him to kiss each other, and when they did, he said “This is the best birthday ever.” A sign was posted saying that alcohol could not be taken out of the bar area, but many patrons were doing so anyway.
There was a clear split between students and non-students, with the older patrons freely socializing between groups and starting up cheers of “go bears!”. There was an atmosphere of community created by these cheers and shown by the large number of pitchers being ordered relative to individual glasses.

At this Northside Co-op, a special alumni was back to rock the house with his funk band. I observed this event with members from PartySafe, who left a few bottled waters for whoever might need them & also stuck around to see if they could be of any help.

The event was a relatively small one, being an in-house event. House members were allowed to bring in two guests & house alumni were invited to attend. However, there was no one at the door, so the party was virtually un-regulated. We entered without any hassles.

There was a variety of hard liquor & a keg present. Juices & sodas were also laid out, presumably to mix the hard liquor with. No one was serving the drinks, so it was pretty much an all-you-can-drink buffet. However, no one seemed to be taking advantage of this & many bottles of alcohol remained on the table.

The event was relatively tame, with most people dancing to the music or watching the band from the couches. No one seemed very drunk & people were having an excellent time. PartySafe left after they saw that there was no need for them to help anyone. Attendance to the event peaked around midnight & by 1am, when the band stopped playing & when I took my leave, only about 30 people remained. A nice, quiet event for the house, possibly due to the fact that the night before, they received a warning for a noise violation!

2600 Ridge Road
Berkeley, CA 94709
This was an open party that started at 10pm and ended at 1am on Saturday 11/11/06. I heard about the party through word of mouth, and many of my friends saw it advertised as an event on facebook. My friend (who lives in a co-op as well) did know someone who lived in the house, and hosted the party. Many of my friends also attended the party. There were approximately (estimated) 150 people there upon arrival — 100 males and 50 females. Upon exit, there were around 200 estimated people there, about 130 males and 70 females. I got into the party through the front door, after waiting in line for roughly 5 minutes. There was a security guard present at the door, and the bouncer definitely checked for Cal Ids, but not California ids. There was no regulation of alcohol, wristbands were given to everyone regardless of age. There was alcohol present, but you definitely had to know someone in the house to receive some. The party was not so crowded that it was difficult to walk around. There were some people at the party demonstrating out-of-control behavior such as fumbling around drunk. I could definitely hear the music at the party from the street when I arrived, and there was no food at the party, but the kitchen was open. People at the party were smoking outside in the backyard, most likely just cigarettes, I didn’t spell any weed. The average person at the party was tipsy, and only a few people were so drunk they couldn’t walk. There were cans and bottle of wine at the party, but no sign of kegs present ( or not that I know of). There was also hard liquor at the party: vodka and whiskey I believe. No one at the party was playing drinking gmaes, and there weren’t any serious problems at the party, but there were many displays of uninhibited sexual behavior including but not limited to nudity, freak dancing, making out, dry humping on couches. The police showed up even before the party had even started. Then there were a few cars outside right after the party ended, probably to maintain peace. No one in my group was asked to leave the party, nor did I see anyone being asked to leave. The party ran out of alcohol eventually. The costume party provided a dance floor and a three dollar cover with costume, and a five dollar cover without costume. Š