UW-SP POLICY QUESTIONED AFTER POT USE, DRINKING AT CONCERT

A student-run concert last weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point followed school policy, despite featuring beer but no campus police,
officials said.

Concert coordinators scheduled eight student ushers to work at Saturday's
concert that drew more than 500 people to the University Center. A catering
service sold beer inside using a wristband system.

The lack of security resulted in underage drinking and marijuana use, said
students who came to see a Minneapolis band, The Big Wu.

James Duquette, 19, said he expected to see people smoking marijuana, but
not so blatantly.

"At one point, everyone in reach was smoking weed," said Duquette, of
Warrenville, Ill. "It was in the Laird Room, of all places. It seemed a
little out of place." Campus police logged two reports after the concert: a
wallet was stolen and someone took roses from a display case in the
University Center. Stevens Point and campus police recorded no arrests at
the concert.

University policy permits the hiring of ushers instead of campus security
officers, said Greg Diekroeger, assistant director of campus activities.

Other university employees, like building managers, were at the event, he
said. Two building managers had direct radio contact with UW-SP Protective
Services, who could assist or call Stevens Point police if needed .

"Nobody's safety was in danger at any time," Diekroeger said. "It fell
within the norm of our shows." He said the university's dining service,
Chartwell's, was responsible for checking students' identification. A
Chartwell's official directed questions to the university.

After checking IDs, employees selling beer can only trust that people won't
give alcohol to underage people, said Jerry Lineberger, associate director
of the University Center.

"We knew it was going to be a big event," Lineberger said. "If the building
manager feels like it gets out of control, they can call Protective
Services." Security costs $8 per hour for each officer assigned to an
event, said John Taylor, security supervisor of Protective Services.

"It's infrequent that we're contracted for these sorts of events," Taylor
said. "They just had the normal amount of security officers on campus."
Three officers were walking or driving on campus Saturday night.

Ushers weren't trained in frisking people at the show's doors for items
like marijuana, said Kristy Steiner, a junior and a concert coordinator for
student-run Centertainment Productions. "Whether or not things got snuck in
is hard to control," she said.

Steiner, who has been concert coordinator for Centertainment since May
2002, said she booked The Big Wu at the request of students.

"We know we're not going to sell beer at another event like that," she
said. "It's too hard to maintain control."