By Vera Greene
Collegian Staff Writer
October 13, 2010

At its meeting on Tuesday night, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) hosted State College attorney Andrew Shubin.

Shubin talked about knowing one’s rights, Vice President for Standards Nick Rodriguez said, but the presentation was aimed more at fraternities.

Tom Piarulli, Vice President for Risk Management, said this kind of presentation is especially important for organizations like fraternities that have a house and property.

“It’s good to know your rights as a college student and a fraternity in general,” Piarulli (senior-security and risk analysis) said, “Plus, we want to make sure we’re in compliance with borough regulations.”

Shubin originally reached out to the IFC to come to Tuesday’s meeting.

“He’s really proactive,” Vice President for Public Relations Dan Cartwright said, “He did his presentation for free in order to get fraternities to bring him to their house for a more formal presentation.” (more…)

September 14, 2010
by Adam Smeltz for StateCollege.com

Leaders spanning the public and private sectors converged Monday in State College to endorse tougher penalties for underage-drinking and public-drunkenness offenses in Pennsylvania.

A two-hour hearing by the state Senate Majority Policy Committee convened inside the borough municipal building, drawing testimony from representatives of three college towns — including State College; from two Penn State student representatives; and from two bar-and-restaurant operators.

Nearly all of those testifying gave unqualified endorsements of three bills introduced last week by state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte. One bill would raise the maximum fines for summary underage-drinking and public-drunkenness offenses to $1,000, up from the current maximum of $300. The current maximum was set in 1972 and no longer serves as an effective deterrent or covers law-enforcement expenses, officials testified. (more…)

By Lauren Boyer
September 14, 2010

STATE COLLEGE — One by one, officials unbottled pent-up frustration surrounding penalties they say aren’t strong enough to deter the increasing population of excessive drinkers committing alcohol-related crimes in college towns.

At a two-hour hearing Monday, State College officials joined representatives from Indiana and West Chester at the municipal building, echoing similar concerns before the state Senate Majority Policy Committee about the municipal financial burden of alcohol violations.

“There doesn’t seem to be any real solutions, per se,” said committee member Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon. “When you’re dealing with people’s behaviors and actions, it’s difficult to legislate those aspects of their internal being.” (more…)

By Katrina Wehr
Collegian Staff Writer

State College Borough Council President Ron Filipelli said he doesn’t leave his home after 10 p.m. and keeps his car inside to prevent damage from drunken passersby.

“It’s like living in two different neighborhoods,” said Filipelli, a longtime resident of the Highlands neighborhood. “One during the day, and a completely different one at night.”

And in an effort to deter students from engaging in the excessive behavior that can result from alcohol abuse, Filipelli — along with state senators, borough officials and community members — met Monday afternoon to discuss legislation that would raise fines for alcohol-related offenses. The legislation aims to raise the maximum fine for alcohol-related summary offenses to $1,000. (more…)

Sara Ganim
August 30, 2010
STATE COLLEGE — Two weekends into the fall semester, State College police say they are seeing a higher than normal number of alcohol-related calls downtown.

“This is a non-football weekend, not a special event,” said State College police Lt. Chris Fishel. “And we still had 88 people cited for various offenses.”

It comes as university officials are imposing harsher penalties for excessive drinking.

Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims said Monday that this year for the first time, any student cited for underage drinking will now have to go through the university’s judicial affairs process, along with paying the criminal fine. (more…)

By Zach Geiger
Collegian Staff Writer
Since the start of the semester two weeks ago, State College Police said they have seen a noticeable increase in criminal activity in the borough, despite no major events.
But don’t expect them to be unprepared for the first home football game.
During the weekend of August 20 there were 14 minor law violations, eight DUIs, five incidents of public drunkenness and one non-DUI felony aggravated assault with five defendants, police said.
And last weekend — the first weekend since classes began — police report there was an even larger increase in this type of activity. (more…)

On April 16, 2010, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted Attorney Andrew Shubin’s petition for allocatur in Commonwealth v. Zortman, a 2006 drug trafficking case prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office. The Supreme Court will hear argument on whether Zortman, the then girlfriend of a Clearfield County drug dealer, should be hit with a five year mandatory minimum state prison sentence based upon the presence of an inoperable firearm in the residence. Shubin, who represented Zortman in the appellate proceedings, expects the case to be briefed and argued before the end of the year.

In taking leadership stand, we must welcome students
Elizabeth Goreham

From its beginning State College has been a college town welcoming students and embracing their traditions. That is why our fraternity district was built within a neighborhood where professors and their families lived, frequently with student tenants. Our downtown grew naturally across the street from Penn State.

Over time the increase of students outpaced the population of the town and now students outnumber permanent residents. This makes the once easy connection with students more difficult, sometimes impossible. Still, just about everybody who lives here has a proud connection to Penn State.

Student life commonly includes drinking. In the past few years, however, dangerous drinking has accelerated. Issues related to alcohol abuse threaten the high standard of living neighborhoods have traditionally enjoyed.
(more…)

Former Daily Collegian photographer Maxwell Kruger, Class of 2009, entered the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program Monday at the Centre County Courthouse, ending the two years he spent in the Centre County legal system in connection to the 2008 Ohio State riot.

Kruger, who was not on the Collegian staff at the time of the riot, was charged in 2008 with two counts of felony riot, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief, according to court documents.

But in September 2009 both felony counts and the count of misdemeanor failure to disperse were dismissed, according to court documents.

Kruger’s attorney Andrew Shubin did not comment on the terms of Kruger’s entrance into the ARD program, but he said this leaves Kruger with no criminal history in connection to the riot.

FOCUS ON EXCESSIVE DRINKING
Community must find solutions together
Damon Sims and Tom Fountaine

One irony about the problem of dangerous drinking among Penn State students is that it can be either a wedge dividing town and gown or a common cause that binds our community as one.
(more…)