UC Berkeley Parties, Frat Row Come Under Scrutiny
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- It's rush week on the University of California at Berkeley's fraternity row. The past three months on frat row have been chaotic and some members of the community are fed up with things getting out of control.
In December, a drunk student plunged from a roof and died during a party.
And on Halloween, four-thousand people gathered on frat row and a riot broke out.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates says, "We're not trying to kill all the parties but we want to just make sure they're done properly."
Bates said both incidents have fueled an effort to crack down on fraternity parties. A proposed ordinance being considered by the Berkeley City Council Tuesday evening, would limit parties to 200 people and force them to end by 10 p.m. on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends.
The ordinance also proposes the prohibition of alcohol in common areas where minors live.
Zoe Brouns, a senator with the Associated Students of the University of California, said she's not satisfied with the bill.
William Morrow, also a senator with the Associated Students of the University of California, said that if the ordinance passes, "My 21-year-old roommates couldn't just have a six-pack of beer that's unopened, for themselves."
Cal students showed up at the Berkeley City Council meeting Tuesday evening to oppose parts of the ordinance, arguing that it is too broad and targets all students, not just fraternities.
They claim the student government has already implemented its own policies, but that Mayor Bates insists that frat row needs stricter rules, however difficult they may be to enforce.
City officials said they've met with people on all sides of the issue to hammer out the ordinance. The bill will have go through a first reading Tuesday night and could go into effect after a second reading.
