Officials to crack down on parties
Excerpts from the Daily Texan
Ian Warren - Posted: 9/7/06
For many years, UT's fraternities and sororities have thrown massive parties with very little police interference. That may all be about to change.
A new plan, revealed during an Aug. 31 Austin Police Commander's Forum held by Commander Michael Jung, will focus on cracking down on large parties in Austin, said John Foxworth, president of the Shoal Crest Neighborhood Association and a photo advisor to The Daily Texan.
Michelle DeCrane, spokeswoman for the Austin Fire Department, said the new plan does not single out fraternities. It focuses on Austin's safety codes and will apply to all Austin residents, she said.
"Over the years, frat parties have gotten bigger and more elaborate, and it's getting difficult to keep them safe," said Don Smith, an Austin Fire Department fire marshal.
Any gathering of more than 49 people requires a public assembly permit, Smith said. These permits are available at the AFD but require a fire-safety inspection of the intended location of the party, Smith said.
As a result of stricter enforcement, the things that students are used to seeing at greek parties, such as "party builds," man-made pools, outdoor bands, "trash can punch" and the all-concealing black tarps may soon disappear, said Richard "Tiny" Clinton, president of Tiny's Risk Management, a popular risk management choice for fraternities. Interfraternity Council restrictions recently banned "trash can punch," bands who perform outdoors, which create a huge risk for a noise complaint, and man-made pools, Clinton said.
Any group attempting to construct a "party build" will have to obtain a building permit prior to beginning construction, Smith said.
The black tarps that usually block visibility into the backyards of fraternity and sorority houses are highly flammable, he added. They will have to be replaced with new tarps that are not flammable.
The group responsible for enforcing these ordinances will be the Public Assembly Code Enforcement Task Force, which is composed of members of zoning, the police, the fire department, code enforcement and the TABC, Smith said. He
"Any party that does not have a permit should expect to be shut down if law enforcement arrives," Clinton said.
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Excerpts from the Daily Texan
Ian Warren - Posted: 9/7/06
For many years, UT's fraternities and sororities have thrown massive parties with very little police interference. That may all be about to change.
A new plan, revealed during an Aug. 31 Austin Police Commander's Forum held by Commander Michael Jung, will focus on cracking down on large parties in Austin, said John Foxworth, president of the Shoal Crest Neighborhood Association and a photo advisor to The Daily Texan.
Michelle DeCrane, spokeswoman for the Austin Fire Department, said the new plan does not single out fraternities. It focuses on Austin's safety codes and will apply to all Austin residents, she said.
"Over the years, frat parties have gotten bigger and more elaborate, and it's getting difficult to keep them safe," said Don Smith, an Austin Fire Department fire marshal.
Any gathering of more than 49 people requires a public assembly permit, Smith said. These permits are available at the AFD but require a fire-safety inspection of the intended location of the party, Smith said.
As a result of stricter enforcement, the things that students are used to seeing at greek parties, such as "party builds," man-made pools, outdoor bands, "trash can punch" and the all-concealing black tarps may soon disappear, said Richard "Tiny" Clinton, president of Tiny's Risk Management, a popular risk management choice for fraternities. Interfraternity Council restrictions recently banned "trash can punch," bands who perform outdoors, which create a huge risk for a noise complaint, and man-made pools, Clinton said.
Any group attempting to construct a "party build" will have to obtain a building permit prior to beginning construction, Smith said.
The black tarps that usually block visibility into the backyards of fraternity and sorority houses are highly flammable, he added. They will have to be replaced with new tarps that are not flammable.
The group responsible for enforcing these ordinances will be the Public Assembly Code Enforcement Task Force, which is composed of members of zoning, the police, the fire department, code enforcement and the TABC, Smith said. He
"Any party that does not have a permit should expect to be shut down if law enforcement arrives," Clinton said.
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I don't think SnS counts as a "party build", and the pool is not man-made. I'm sure this will be enforced much the same way as the Narc patrol that slows by our house and speeds up to drive past the frat two doors down that drew all over a dying kid last year. I'll drink to that!
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