• Rich Barlow

    Senior Writer

    Photo: Headshot of Rich Barlow, an older white man with dark grey hair and wearing a grey shirt and grey-blue blazer, smiles and poses in front of a dark grey backdrop.

    Rich Barlow is a senior writer at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. Perhaps the only native of Trenton, N.J., who will volunteer his birthplace without police interrogation, he graduated from Dartmouth College, spent 20 years as a small-town newspaper reporter, and is a former Boston Globe religion columnist, book reviewer, and occasional op-ed contributor. Profile

Comments & Discussion

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There are 150 comments on Four Students Jailed, Face Disorderly House Charges

  1. ZBT has parties almost every weekend with the same amount of kids. It’s dumb that BU is just now noticing, “at least one underage drinker,” please I’m sure half of the girls in there were 18 and freshmen.

  2. As an alumni I find it an absolute shame that BU’s name gets dragged down by such filthy behavior. These students are a disgrace to BU, to society, and to humanity. I pray for their guidance. Obviously their parents have failed them.

    1. As a current student, I find it an absolute shame that some of our alumni have nothing better to do on a Friday morning than peruse BU Today and cyber-bash 4 of my friends and their parents. Throwing a party makes you a shame to humanity? Please elaborate. If you’re a shame to humanity for throwing a party, I don’t even want to know what you think of rapists and murderers. And it’s very obvious their parents failed them. I mean, what fraternity in their right mind would have parties in college unless they were all messed up from failed parenting?

      You must’ve had a great time at BU.

      1. The issue at hand is that one would hope that BU students have learned from past mistakes and events that have sullied BU’s reputation and resulted in STUDENT DEATHS and ARRESTS. Alumni, like myself (and I’m not the one who posted the original comment above), read BU Today because we are interested in what’s happening with the university. We are loyal to BU and we care about BU. The school’s reputation impacts all of us, even after we walk off Nickerson Field in our scarlet robes. We like reading stories about how BU is now ranked within the Top 50 national universities – although if there were a category for stupidity, we could make it to #1 on the list.

        As an alum who reads BU Today almost every day, I can recite all of the prior incidents that have occurred over the past few years off the top of my head. As an active student within the community, you should be able to do that as well and learn from prior stupidity.

        If you think the only way to have fun is to stand around a dumpy house like a mope with a red cup in your hand, BU should teach a course in other ways to enterain oneself.

        If none of that is enough reason for you to be concerned, at least try being courteous to your neighbors, who don’t want noisy, raucous people living and throwing up next to them.

        1. ^I think that critique was referring to the alum at the top, who claimed to be “an alumni.” Either way, he/she could be an alumnus or alumna – knowing BU, I’m surprised there haven’t been some furious comments about the masculine assumption

        1. I appreciate adherence to proper grammar, too. And in that light, I note that the “alum” above did not say, “I am an alumni.” He or she said, “alumni, like myself…” So the plural is correct. Equivalent to my saying, “Nit-pickers, like myself…”

    2. It was just a party, won’t be the first, won’t be the last. No one calls you a disgrace to BU or to humanity. I can think of a lot of disgraces to humanity, like Hitler, Oussama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, or Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. So if drinking a beer is “filthy behavior” than your judging 90% of the world because we have all had a beer and been to a party.

      1. Perhaps he was a bit strong using the words ‘disgrace to BU / humanity’.

        I would have chosen the words ‘dumb, dumber, dumbest’:
        200 people in a house that’s already under probation.
        Shutting the lights and music off thinking the police would go away.
        Not remembering the freshman who died (alcohol-related) last year or the year before.
        Not remembering the fraternity that was hauled into jail for an initiation incident.
        Covering a smoke alarm.
        Wasting parents’ money. A LOT OF MONEY – BU is not cheap folks.
        Dumb, dumb, dumb.

          1. Whomever’s money! Doesn’t really matter. Parents’ money, the school’s money, the government’s money, your money, your dog’s money. It’s someone’s money being wasted on all of you.

    3. As a student, I find it an absolute shame that a BU graduate doesn’t know the difference between alumnus and alumni. Obviously your parents have failed you.

    4. The Two houses that caught on fire in the last 2 years were electrical fires that happened very early in the morning. They were not a result of partying or kids doing anything crazy but rather landlords in Allston cutting corners and putting students in danger

    5. Two points:

      1) Nawal Ahmed, This comment is disgraceful. You should be ashamed to have this posted under your name. Clearly you do not have a well-rounded perspective on life. If anyone has failed, it is definitely you, for you can see but you clearly cannot understand. I pray for your guidance out of the narrow box that is your perspective.

      2) Clearly BU policy is in need of a revamp. Kids will never stop trying to have fun. Put a bunch of underage kids in a dorm with no air conditioning and your DARN RIGHT they’re going to go out and try to find something else to do. They can’t go to bars or clubs, and everything else in town closes at 9. So what is a student to do? They can either chance a fake ID, study, or go hang out with their friends. Allston is a clear example of how BORED and under-stimulated SO MANY BU STUDENTS FEEL. BU cannot maintain it’s reputation by allowing the justice system to keep ramping up it’s consequences. If I read an article about four kids going to jail for four days for having two house parties FOUR MONTHS APART, I would genuinely be worried about going to that school, and would most likely attend another one if I could.

      These kids are clearly being made an example out of, and it’s meant to scare others away from hosting with a sort of ruthless suppression. BU, if you really want to solve the problem, buy a few of these cheap, rundown houses and LET THE GREEK COMMUNITY SHARE THEM. KEEP TABS ON THEM. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY. DON’T JUST POINT THE FINGER WHEN SOMETHING THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE LEAKS ONTO THE NEWS.

    6. With all due respect Ms. Ahmed, but just because these people have a different lifestyle and values than you doesn’t mean they are “a disgrace to BU, to society, and to humanity.” It just means they have a different lifestyle and values than you, probably stemming from being from a different cultural, social and/or economical background. That being said, there is no objective way of judging whether any lifestyle is more valuable than the other. Any sort of judgement will be molded by our own biases thus rendering it ineffective. In my opinion we should all refrain from judging other people, because, realistically, who are we to judge others.

      That being said, I would definitely expect more tolerance from a BU graduate. Hopefully this doesn’t mean that our school has failed you.

      1. Boy, you folks really miss the point. This is not a matter of respecting different lifestyles. It’s a legal matter (violating probation, smoking marijuana, underage drinkers), safety matter (200 people crammed inside a house, smoke detector deliberately covered up), being responsible matter (not thinking how one’s actions today can totally screw up one’s future, not learning from prior history at BU), and a matter of respecting their parents (I’m sure their parents are not thrilled that there’s a good chance their kids may get kicked out of BU + have an arrest record with all of the money they’re paying).

        From reading many of these posts, including the person who thought a ‘disorderly house’ meant ‘messy house,’ I really think BU should drop around 50 places in next year’s rankings.

        1. Seriously! I thought the police response was a little bit overkill until I read the comments here. What a bunch of entitled whiny brats. No one cares how much money you pay to go to BU. That’s your fault. It doesn’t give you a license to treat the whole city (or even just Allston) like your personal playground/garbage dump. The fact that the price of tuition would even cross someone’s mind as an excuse to act like an idiot without expecting any consequences is so much grosser than when people complained about tuition every time an elevator stopped working when I was in school. Or these other kids acting like they have to get drunk with 200 people in a tiny house because the dorms aren’t fun and everything in Boston closes at 9pm. Seriously? Grow up. Go visit one of your friends at Williams College or something if you want to see a real life example of an actually boring place. Although you might actually learn something out there….

          The funniest part is that you could easily get drunk and party with your friends in Allston every single night with absolutely no one caring as long as you aren’t a bunch of idiots who annoy your neighbors and insist on partying in a dense residential neighborhood with 200 other people. Even these stupid complaints are based on nothing, you have to be a completely wasted idiot to get arrested in Allston.

  3. From a personal perspective, I do not see underage drinking that didn’t involve alcohol poisoning or subsequent driving as that much of an issue. Also don’t really have issue with the recreational use of marijuana as long as you don’t drive high.

    However, they are illegal, and if you are going to do them, or allow it to happen on your property, then don’t draw attention to yourself. These idiots brought attention to themselves the first time, and got a break from the judge. Instead of laying low and staying “off the radar,” they have another huge party and get caught again. Police get a complaint from neighbors, they don’t have much of a choice but to do something, so don’t fault them for doing their jobs and doing what the taxpayers expect them to do.

    For these students, once is a mistake, twice is deliberate, just stupid, and they deserve any punishment coming their way. You can’t fix stupid.

    1. In all fairness, while a 200 person party is stupid (who knows the real number), BPD go out looking for these parties and making them nearly impossible to hide. Considering reports that these were happening frequently I heavily doubt it was as bad as they made it sound. If to it wouldn’t have taken the BPD, who religiously patrol the streets of Allston, this long to catch them again.

      1. Again, the police are posts by the citizens to do a job. despite what you may think or see, with celebrities or politicians getting away with crime because police look the other way, that’s not what is supposed to happen. If BPD looks for people committing crimes, however minor, then good, they are doing what they are paid to do.

        In this case, they got a complaint and responded, which I think we all want to happen if we call the police. bottom line: police did what they are supposed to do, these young men didn’t learn from the first existence, and now have to face the consequences of deliberately flaunting the law they already got a break on.

        I would be very sympathetic if this was the first offense, but it wasn’t.

        1. They are paid to protect public safety. They did a poor job of that during the muggings last year as well as the numerous shootings, robbings and attempted rapes of students.

          I’m not disagreeing that they should do their job, I’m just saying there is a likely potential that it wasn’t a call that prompted them to go there but their routine patrols or police stationed outside party houses.

          In particular the “odor of marijuana” sounds like a way to justify entry. I’ve been to these parties, you can’t smell anything but cheap alcohol, nasty bear and sweat. You only smell marijuana once you walk down any other allston street.

      2. The police actually really don’t care too much. Yeah they regularly patrol Allston but really only get involved to clear people off the streets. They know exactly what’s happening and don’t do anything unless they have a good reason to.

    2. I completely agree, however the judge forbading these people from having guest? These guys threw a 200+ party, but can they not have a couple friends/guests over as well?

  4. Why is it necessary that these students’ names be posted? They have yet to be convicted of anything. One would think an official publication of the University would have higher standards.

      1. So that means that you had to post their names right? Because everyone needs to know who they are? Give me a break. Go out and accomplish some real journalism.

    1. I guess the 50 grand a year really doesn’t get you any sympathy from bu for being harassed by the police. 3 nights in jail for having a party… What!!! You get a few hours in jail for a DUI… Then you post their names so they have no hope of ever getting jobs. I’m really starting to hate bu today.

  5. I disagree that you would publish their names here. It’s not at all uncommon for students living off campus to be keepers of a disorderly house (I moved back on campus because of it), and this infraction is not that big of a deal. But now every time anybody Googles any of these guys’ names, this will be one of the first results. They’ve already gone to jail, please consider removing their names from the article.

      1. Have you ever read the police log? It’s public record when you get arrested. And we have the internet now. These are called consequences. Sometimes when adults make bad choices, negative things can happen as a result.

      1. Your focus needs to change from trying to deflect the story to other things from the incidents art hand. No one tried to “ruin these kids[‘] lives.” The police got a call, they came, this is what they found, the hosts were arrested, and now they need to accept responsibility for their actions and be grateful nothing really bad happened that night.

      2. Their names are already on Boston.Com (front page link to article). It’s public information. If you get arrested and violate a probation order, it’s public information. Act like an ass, then get treated like one.

  6. What the heck kind of crime is “keeping a disorderly house”? How did the MA lawyers on the legislature dream up a way to get this charge around the 4th amendment? Is it not my right to keep my house as I desire? I guess MA legislature has a very different view of liberty than I do. Is there a law in MA against not vacuuming your rugs enough too?

    1. keeping a disorder house isn’t a crime. it’s a violation of a civil statute… you can keep your house however you want, nobody cares. but you can’t impede others’ rights (within reason) to also keep their property the way they want it. please pick up a book and open it.

    2. First off they covered a smoke alarm that wasn’t working. In MA thats a crime for building code because they put themselves and countless other people in harm. The presence of weed along with under age drinking… no matter how stupid thats against the law. They did not cooperate with police and they did not cooperate with a warning they had got before. Sorry but that breaking the law. But wait dont worry. They will most likely be given a fine and sent home. Also you mist likely are not allowed to have over a certain amount of people in a house. (Structure code) also they were loud.

      1. Of course it was meant to be joke. But at the same time it was meant to call attention to original legislative intent and current stare decisis in such cases.

    3. Really? There was no getting “around the 4th Amendment.” No one broke in. The residents opened the door after 5 minutes. Once there legally, they found evidence in the open of violations of law and housing Codes. The most dangerous thing in that house was the smoke detector rendered inoperable –intentionally — and unable to warn the people there of danger. Being in college means you can learn about the law, the Constitution, and common sense and not repeat what uniformed peers say.

  7. I mean yeah, a college party. Let’s ruin those kids lives. God forbid BU help have responsible parties instead of forcing them underground.

    You really shouldn’t have any fun while mortgaging your future away.

    Post BU I can say my best decision was joining a fraternity.

    1. They are responsible for their actions, no one is “ruining their lives” but them. They got a break the first time, and did it again. Once is a mistake, twice is deliberate stupidity.

      Don’t make excuses for repeat offenders. It isn’t the university’s responsibility to help these guys party responsibly, they were grown men who were too stupid to get the hint the first time. They can party all they want, but why invite trouble by having a huge party at the same house, less than 6 months after the first incident.

      1. Because throwing a part at a university is a terrible crime?

        BU’s response is to simply try and crush all parties. It’s obviously stupid. Then they are subsequently surprised when they pop up somewhere else.

        In other countries this is not how they respond to students. In turn students are asked to be respectful and call parties at certain hours. Non amnesty and completely unregulated parties only lead to trouble and expense for everyone.

        1. How is BU involved in this? They suspended the fraternity because some of its members were arrested for throwing a party at the fraternities house. Totally justifiable actions.

        2. Oh please, B.U. doesn’t try to crush “all parties”, it responds to complaints about parties that are entangled with legal, safety, or annoyance issues. And to blame B.U. for “unregulated parties” is absurd, as it’s clear that these guys were unwilling to regulate themselves. If several visits from the police don’t inspire self-regulation, what exactly do you think B.U. should do in that regard? Send chaperones with rulers and use them to smack knuckles when COLLEGE students are naughty?

          Seriously, you and others keep missing the point and sound like high school rebels without a clue when you defend these guys because (wahhhh!) the big bad police shut their party down! The number of people crammed into the house house was dangerous, there was underage drinking, a smoke alarm was deactivated, disrespect was shown to neighbors via loud noise, and it wasn’t the first time that police had gone to this address.

          But go head, disengage “adult” brain, ignore the legal and safety ramifications of all this, and engage “teen” brain that thinks that having loud parties with underage drinking and unsafe conditions is a “right” enshrined in the Constitution. Ten to one if you were badly injured at such a party, you’d blame B.U. I weep for the future because a lot of you – despite getting that diploma – will never move beyond your way of thinking.

  8. SMG student, maybe if you – or these students – considered the affects of their behavior on their neighbors, you’d think differently. If these students lived in the middle of nowhere and wanted to get rowdy, i’d say have it. But when their behavior is negatively impacting the quality of life of their neighbors, that’s a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

    PS all frat boys are idiots, so this behavior is no surprise.

    1. Oh boy did my blood boil when you make the boorish generalization that all frat boys are idiots. As someone in a fraternity (and a real one, not a business or non-social one), I can’t speak higher of the men I associate with.

      Nearly all BU Fraternities have a GPA above the all-male average. I have brothers and know other fraternity men in demanding majors, Student Government, doing independent research, graduating with two bachelors AND a masters, ROTC, graduating Summa Cum Laude, etc. While some kids fit your stereotype, the majority of fraternity guys are overachievers in their academics, as well as their social life (which might give us a reputation not fully encompassing our persons).

      Please don’t rush to judgment of people based off their association with a fraternity.

      I know one of these ZBT kids, and while I agree it wasn’t smart to continue to throw down, they are not fundamentally bad people.

      1. i did not say that frat boys are fundamentally bad people, nor did i say that they aren’t capable of achieving academic and/or career success. i’ll admit that my generalization that all frat boys are idiots was perhaps unfair, so allow me to clarify: young men who seek out frat memberships lack the courage and strength of character to carve out their own social identity and peer group. instead, faced with the prospect of forging new friendships in a strange new environment (college), they latch on to these prefab social clans and bow to the whims of their more senior frat ‘brothers’ because it gives them an artificial sense of kinship and social acceptance. these young men lack the fortitude to strike out on their own and be their own men. they’re more comfortable having their social lives dictated to them by people who were complete strangers to them circa freshman orientation.

        1. Oh, I should I take that as being from your time in a Fraternity?

          No one has ever accused me to lack strength or courage. I can happily say I made friends with my brothers, my class mates and my floor mates.

          The difference is that bond usually lasts a life time. I still speak with a couple class mates and see some old floor mates on the rare occasion I make it to Boston, but I always talk with my brothers.

          If you want to call that “lacking fortitude”, so be it. I’d rather ask you to talk to some people in Fraternities at BU before making that assumption.

          I defend them strongly because it was the best decision I made in my time at BU. The support network it provides you is unbreakable and the learning invaluable.

        2. CMB you are obviously just mad because you did not get a bid to a fraternity. You do not have to take your anger out on this page because you feel left out. I am truely sorry that you never got a bid. It is a shame that such a well spoken person was able to have joined greek life

        3. Or maybe a number of them are just smart enough to realize that the game’s rigged, regardless of their decision, and they could accomplish a lot more with 50 like-minded brothers at their side than you can on your own.

    2. You live in Allston, I’m not sure what you expect.

      The only nice construction going up in the area is there to cater to the students. They have brought a lot of money into the area.

      Are they loud and obnoxious? Sure. If that bothers you that much you can move over to Brookline where rents are 3x as high.

      I’m an alumnus now for a few years, so I can point out some observations.

      The best friends and connections I’ve made for business have come from my fraternity. I learned more from them than BU as a whole.

      Secondly if you are going to be successful after college and the insane amount of work that involves in today’s economy, you will not be having much fun for the first few years. There is no reason you shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy yourself in college. Students will party no matter what, blame BU for not giving them a proper venue to do so like MIT does. The 21 year drinking laws means many students are forced to go to house parties rather than out to proper venues. I never liked sticky floors, but I had no choice.

      1. i appreciate your suggestion that i should move to brookline, but i’m going to pass, thank you. i’m going to continue to live in allston and be respectful of my neighbors – whoever they are, students included. if they in turn are not respectful of their neighbors then they will get in trouble with the law and their names will be made public record.

  9. This house is next to the burned out apartment building where BU Senior Binland Lee died last April in a fire started by a cigarette, and it is across the street from the empty lot where another off-campus house fire forced BU students to jump from all three floors, resulting in a severe head injury to one student who had to drop out for a year.

    1. Thanks for the info as I noticed the bldg on the left and it never occurred to me that it was THE house where that beautiful girl died last year. Additionally, being across the street from the other fire and injury another promising BU student, it makes complete sense as to why the police are being so strict. I’m sure after 3 nights in Nashua they will never take a risk again.

    2. The homes in the area are not even close to complying with fire code. As someone who was in the fire service, the police, FD and building inspectors should do their jobs and cite the landlords. Nothing to do with the students.

        1. Don’t let it discourage you completely. There are plenty of nice areas off campus. Allston is the least safe/noisy/party prone/ poorly maintained compared to the others.

          1. Sure there are nice areas off campus, but good luck finding an apartment that isn’t <$1000/month per person in any other area close to campus.

  10. BU is a reputable national and international acclaimed academic institution. Over the year it enjoys many awards across many disciplines and produces some of the most distinguished scholars, alumni and graduates in the world. As a soon-to-graduate BU law student, I feel honor and proud to become a part of this community. Today, however, I feel angry, ashamed and disgraced.
    It should not be shocking to anyone who learns the news today, because these kinds of parties occur every weekend, if not every day. It’s always the stupidity, ignorance, and immaturity of some few that sabotage the hard works of many who put in day after day to build and maintain the quality, reputation and the academic community of our school. For those who want to argue –“they’re just college kids; stupidity, ignorance and immaturity are who they are,” I found hard to justify at any ground that such a laissez-faire attitude toward educating the future of America is acceptable, if not tolerable.
    For those who read the news today, and for those who just simply happen to live in the Allston/Brighten neighborhood regardless of your status as a student or residence, and especially for those who love Boston as much I as do, and intend to stay here and have a family here, are going to face a decision sometime in a foreseeable future – whether to send your children to BU.

    1. Because having fun on the weekends and hard work are mutually exclusive? Many of the people I knew winning those awards and becoming the most successful post college were there on weekends along with everyone else.

      While the focus of university is academics, you shouldn’t confuse that with being the only element.

      1. Just taking a wild guess that parents (and University financial aid are paying for academics, and expect the university to make education its focus. Education includes the risk of being caught for being irresponsible and endangering others, and the real-life consequence of having your name published, anywhere, if you are arrested. College students can’t argue they are grown up enough to break the law and endanger others, and then expect to be shielded from the consequences of their action because “it could ruin their lives.”

        1. Perhaps they’d be better off not attending BU and causing it to drop in the rankings until it comes up with a more sensible policy for handling student recreational outlets.

          Most of the people I knew not in Fraternities had to take a semester off at one point or another because of the stress of BU. It is a miserable place for social aspects until you are 21.

          Additionally most expenses go to non academic functions. My point is that it is ridiculous to blame students for being students. I went to parties in university. My professors went to parties when they were in university. To expect that students will cease all partying is ridiculous, unreasonable and unfair to their social development.

  11. “The police knocked at the door for more than five minutes, announcing their identity, before someone admitted them.”

    know your damn rights, people! The police are not here to help you, there here to intimidate you and ruin your future. NEVER admit a police officer into your home. Respectfully decline.

    I encourage everyone to visit knowyourrights.org and educate yourselves

    1. I encourage people to know what their rights are, but claiming that the police are here to intimidate you and ruin your future…seriously? Are you really that ignorant?

      So every person arrested of say…murder…is really just a victim of intimidation and the police are arresting them to ruin their future?

      1. And I am thinking that if that house burned down with those 100+ guests there, there parents would be suing the City of Boston for not intervening. Could it be that one of the residents had enough sense to open the door and deal with things responsibly?

  12. I mean… why would you choose to live on a well-known street for Frat kids if you can’t deal with a party and noise? I mean… I live on a street where you can hear parties all the time, you don’t see me calling the popo. Anyway, in all fairness, they were warned once and decided to do it again knowing they have neighbors who like to call the popo, so they shouldn’t have had the party. As to all the people saying “They are shameful,” PLEASE tell me you didn’t go to parties when you went to school here… I am pretty sure you have/ have gotten drunk underage. Majority of college kids do, so there life isn’t “shameful.” Jeez, people need to loosen up.

    1. real families live around there and some have lived there before the frats. Are you suggesting they move out so that the frats can have as many parties as they want? how entitled of you. Obviously these people have a right to live where they want and not be woken up by loud parties.

      1. Frats aren’t the only ones throwing parties in Allston. What do these families expect when they choose to live so close to such a large university? Not only are they moving near a huge school, they’re also on the outskirts of a city filled with 50+ colleges. BU students aren’t the only one throwing parties in Allston. People are incredibly naive if they move into Allston (especially anywhere between west campus and Harvard Ave) and expect it to be quiet on the weekends.

  13. If you are buying alcohol for minors, you SHOULD go to jail. I am suprized that they got out in 3 days. I made sure that my child did not join Greek life at BU because it promotes bad behavior and leads to underdeveloped young individuals.

    1. If you don’t think your child is going to drink and attend social events even when underage, you are being naive. You should keep him home-schooled where you can be his only friend.

      1. She didn’t say that. We all hope our kids make good choices ….attending parties where they’re changing $5 isn’t one of them. Bad things happen when you put 100+ kids together in a party situation w pot and booze after midnight. If I did that in my neighborhood, I’d be arrested and be doing time for sure. “Social Host Liability Laws” look it up.

      2. Michael, couldn’t have said it better myself. “Concerned Parent” please wake up, it’s actually comical you think your “child” isn’t going to drink or attend social events in college. Really feel sorry for your lack of awareness as a parent.

        1. All of that aside, what happens if you child never does drink during university? What happens when they are trust into the real world and go out with colleagues?

          It’s not exactly impossible to drink responsibly and regulate yourself before you turn 21, especially when you consider the god awful drinks at these parties.

        2. Ah, you are the naive one. I would like to hear your perspective and attitude when you have a son or daughter at college. Yours is an age when you don’t believe anything really bad can happen to YOU or anyone YOU know. Frankly, the odds are, it won’t. But to assume you know it all and are free to insult a parent who –without any doubt — has had more life experience than you, is so vain and naive it completely begs the point that college students still need some guidance.

          1. Oh really, you know how old I am or what I believe? I amended my title for you.
            This is not an uncommon view of people of all ages.

            No one is doubting the idea that college students need guidance, rather BU’s equivalence of abstinence only for drinking is a stupid policy that fails to provide any guidance.

    2. Haha “concerned parent” comments always get me. The fact that your college student even listens to your advice after the age of 18 shocks me, get your own life and let your kid make his own decisions

  14. When these boys were written up and put on probation in September, BU and Boston Police should have made it part of the ‘terms’ to do a walk thru of the Nashua St. jail. Those images and smells would make such an impression that I would bet they would NEVER risk their freedom.

  15. A real shame that this is an article BU today editors felt appropriate to publish. These kids have gone through enough and it is clear that the only reason reporters are interested is because of their incarceration. None of these guys deserve what they are facing, walk through Allston for 10 minutes on any Thursday Friday or Saturday and you will be able to see that this is a common occurrence with uncommon repercussions

    1. Again, really? They “have gone through enough”? What exactly did they go through? They got caught and they are being treated like anyone else who got arrested. In fact, they got caught twice and after getting a more than generous break, they got arrested.

      1. You have no idea how the BPD hunts and treats students. It is equivalent to being a 2nd class citizen.

        You’re not wrong, but people like you enable that to happen by taking the statement of the police at face value.

  16. Is BUPD serious? They make it impossible for students to enjoy college within this city outside of classes. I get that underage drinking is illegal, but the fact that these 4 students are being held in jail !?!??! without bail?!?!! Did you ever go to college BUPD? Do you know that PROBABLY 90% OF STUDENTS UNDERAGE AT THIS UNIVERSITY DRINK. YES. SURPRISE SURPRISE. Find something better to do with your time such as stopping the dozens of robberies that have occurred in the past year that continue to occur. Are you happy you just destroyed the future of these 4 (presumably decent) students in terms of their jobs, not to mention their reputations and the reputations of their families? For having some drinks with friends on the weekend after working their butts off all week at one of the hardest universities in the country? Boston needs to seriously get a reality check. COLLEGE STUDENTS DRINK. Get over it and find a more dangerous crime to stop.

    1. Hard work does not entitle you to break the law. This was not the first time they have done this. They had been warned. I’m not against drinking, in fact, I had bartended during college to help pay my tutition.

      BU is a highly regarded school not only nationally, but internationally. People around the world come and have the experience in our community. What do you think they will tell the world when they go back? Sure, having fun is part of the experience — do you think this degree of fun is acceptable?

      1. Great point Student/Neighbor… this level of “fun” is sickening! A student who feels the need to drink copious amounts of mixed drinks and booze has another thing coming to them once they hit the real world. Wake up people! Booze isn’t the only way to have fun………

      2. As someone who has international experience and an international degree from a top 10 global school after BU, this seems like a joke. The attitude is that America is a trigger happy and knee jerk police state.

        I’ve had potential BU students message me on social networks and ask about BU. Despite my praise often the best left for other schools after hearing stories of the police interaction with students.

        BUPD are actually reasonably relaxed. BPD treats us like criminals.

    2. OOOPS–you have the wrong police department: It was the BOSTON Police. No police agency should be treating anyone differently because they are poor, rich, Black, white OR college students.

      Can you be serious? The BOSTON POLICE ruined the lives of these students?

      They had nothing to do with the consequences for their actions??

  17. Those students got what they deserved. I was in college, I went to parties and socialized. I also knew people who got in trouble for doing things like this all the time and they didn’t get treated any differently than these 4 students. It is college, you should be able to have a good time but within reason. Parties with 200+ people is bound to get noticed eventually. Their fault.

    1. There is no definitive proof that was the size of the party. Police have a serious tendency to over exaggerate these kinds of things. Based on the size of the house in the picture I am doubtful that they fit 200 people in there. You’re looking at 120 at most with no room to walk.

      1. My friend lives on this street and can confirm that there were an obscene amount of people in that house that night because she was home and saw the whole thing go down with police. They live a few houses down and say that that house is always causing problems, always loud, etc. If this was their first time throwing a huge party it would be one thing. From what my friend said, outrageous parties at that place happened all the time. She said she was surprised it took another 3 months before the cops busted another huge one. You can’t fix stupid.

  18. Boston police is always patrolling looking for parties and going into clubs and bars trying to find people under 21 with fake ids, yet we continue to have robberies and crime right near campus. The focus needs to change, instead of trying to ruin these kids lives for something nearly everyone does across the country, maybe make the community safer by taking out people who are true criminals

  19. Classic greek life! I cannot even believe that this nonsense still goes on, these students are NOT 21 so they should NOT be drinking. These kids who underage drink are turning into degenerates, and unfortunately, will go nowhere in life. The administration should have harder punishments to get this point across!! As an alum, I am VERY disappointed. Clean it up BU.

    1. I doubt you had a whole lot of fun in college. They are not degenerates and most of them will actually go places in life. I am VERY disappointed in your qucik judgement of people you don’t know.

    2. “These kids who underage drink are turning into degenerates, and unfortunately, will go nowhere in life”

      Lol. Are we lumping the rest of the world in with that as well?

      In the UK subsidized or super cheap alcohol at school pub is the norm.

        1. That is does. The issue at hand is the statement that anyone that drinks underage is doomed to turn into a degenerate.

          As a whole I found far less issues with students there than in the US. If you wanted to drink you went to a bar or a club. The venue was safe, fire codes adhered too and security to watch out for everyone.

          The police there also don’t try and go for you and arrest you. If you’re found wandering the street drunk they’re far more likely to positively engage you and call a cab. I’ve been harassed by BPD walking back to campus completely sober on a Saturday night returning from work.

      1. Obviously not “SMG Alumnus”, why are you bringing up a point about the UK that doesn’t have to do with anything? Is this the UK? Are you spending Euros at the local market? Drinking tea with grandma at noon? NO. This is an established american university where alcohol is a MAJOR problem. It MUST be stopped.

  20. Just because something is common it doesn’t mean that it is an appropriate thing to do. If everyone in the community thinks throwing trash/leftovers on the street is a common occurrence in the neighborhood, does that mean it is an appropriate thing to do? Anyone with a sensible mind would shy away from making this kind of argument under any circumstance.
    Fun has its boundary, just like almost anything, its has its boundary. When the line is crossed, shouldn’t there be repercussion? What about some common courtesy to your neighbors? We want an orderly society. Do we?

  21. They only reason these guys are being chastised so is because they’re in a fraternity. If they were simply guys living in a house throwing a party they would have gotten off with a slap on the wrist. this judge put four 20 year old college kids in jail, and denied them bail, while their names and associates get slandered all over the news….for throwing a party! Does this help us? No. Does bupd patroling the streets trying to put away a couple of fraternity brothers make us feel secure? Ofcourse not. Allston is a bad neighbourhood and the fact that the police so proudly announce they are increasing patrols to catch kids drinking insteas of focusing their efforts on more serious crimes is the real issue here.

    1. That’s just wrong. BU made it clear at the beginning of the year they would be more aggressive in breaking up parties in Allston. I live on Ashford Street with a few other guys, and none of us are in fraternities. We had a party in mid-October, the cops got called and we all went to court. They said since it’s the first time we would get a warning but if we did it again we would all meet with a judge. BU told us the same thing, fined each of us and said if we did it again we wouldn’t walk at graduation.

      Also, Allston is not that bad of a neighborhood. Since you’re CAS ’16 you probably haven’t seen that much of it yet, but a lot of upperclassmen live there and it’s actually one of the safest neighborhoods in Boston. http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/boston/crime/

    2. FYI It was Boston Police. I wonder if it were BU police would they have been a little more lenient, and gone with other sanctions rather than straight to jail. This is the downside to living off campus. Upside is you can throw a ‘big party’, just has to be kept under control, but is always hard to do w young people and booze. You have to follow the rules of the jurisdiction or suffer consequences that pertain to all in that jurisdiction. Still think even with the warning from sept that Nashua st. Was a bit harsh…even for 1 night much less 3!

  22. The young will be young, and the young want to party, we all did it in the day when we were young. And, now as some of us are older I guess you could say it’s payback for all the times we disturbed the elderly who were trying to sleep while we were having a grand old time back then. So, I just go with the flow, and let them have their good time however, I don’t agree that they should be covering smoke alarms, they are put there for a very good reason, and should always be operational, and I agree that their names should not have been posted in the article, which will follow them around for the rest of their lives, for having a party?

  23. As a School of Medicine alumnus I defend BU Today’s decision to post the names of the students. The students did not spend three nights in jail for throwing a party, they violated a court order. That’s a serious offense. With few exceptions, it’s a matter of public record and the media (BU Today included) are well within their rights to publish that information. CHILDREN are entitled to have their identities hidden. If these students expect to be treated as ADULTS they had better understand that with adulthood comes responsibilities and consequences; they can not have it both ways and when you woefully disregard a judge’s order the consequences become a whole lot steeper than hosting a party.

  24. Did no one read this article? They violated their probation. They were already a problem property. They already knew that their neighbors were 100% willing to call the cops on a wild party. I have absolutely no idea how they could have possibly thought another party was a good idea.

    I have sympathy with regards to the initial charges — but I have little sympathy with a group of repeat offenders who were violating their probation.

    And to be perfectly honest, as an alumni and a journalist, I see absolutely nothing wrong with publishing these kids’ names, particularly with a repeat offense. These people violated their probation. They didn’t learn their lesson. They failed to consider the consequences of their actions. They were standing on thin ice–should we surprised when they fell through?

    It’s college–almost everyone parties, almost everyone drinks underage. I get that. But there are ways to be smart and discreet about it, and these guys were nothing close to “smart.”

    1. I moved into a house that was harrassed by police repeatedly in september and october despite throwing zero parties because it was a “problem property” from the previous year, in which none of the current tenants lived there.

      Also I’m quite skeptical about these alleged “neighbor calls”… I’ve been approached by officers who made these claims while I was sitting on my front porch (no party or people or music in the house) and I’m friends with all my neighbors, in every direction.

      Still, I can’t defend some of the poor judgement exercised by the students in question.

  25. I find it EXTREMELY distasteful that the names of these student were included in this article– is going to jail not enough of a punishment? Not to mention the fact that Linden street is notorious for throwing parties. Everyone is commenting on how these “kids” need to take “responsibility for their actions,” when realistically, this situation could have happened to anyone. It is unsettling to think that the law can be overlooked for however long is convenient and then implemented to its full extent on a couple of guys who have done– lets be honest– nothing really out of the ordinary.

  26. Just another day in the life of BU–where the students are wealthy enough to afford Harvard tuition, but not academic enough to earn Harvard admissions.

    1. It wasn’t BUPD and it wasn’t BU. This is a story of three guys who got cut a break the first time and were put on probation by the judge. When they decided to go ahead and violate the terms of their probation (probably not for the first time, judging from the observations of even student neighbors of the house), they got caught and arrested. Jail is where you go when you are arrested.

  27. As a parent, I do feel bad for these kids. Too bad they didn’t heed the warning from sept. I know the law of 21 saves lives, but it seems so inconsistent. They are an adult at 18. Can marry, vote, fight a war etc. it’s crazy to think that they will never have a drink until 21. As much as I would like to think that of my child but it’s unrealistic I’ve been told from many college students.nToo bad it’s not 19 for example…gives kids 1 year to handle being out on there own, then add that privilege of alcohol. Either way, the law is the law, and if caught breaking it, one has to take the consequences like an adult.

  28. Clearly BU’s policy is in need of a revamp. I’ve been here for almost four years now and have continuously watched kids get picked out of the blue and made to suffer excessively for what everyone else at the school (not to mention across the entire country) is doing anyway. Young adults will never stop trying to have fun. It’s half the reason we GO to college. Put a bunch of underage kids in a dorm with no air conditioning and your DARN RIGHT they’re going to go out and try to find something else to do. They can’t go to bars or clubs, and everything else in town closes at 9. So what is a student to do? They can either chance a fake ID, study, or go hang out with their friends. Don’t say they should stay in and watch a movie or play a board game. That is simply unrealistic no matter how you look at it. Allston is a clear example of how BORED and under-stimulated so many BU students feel. BU cannot maintain it’s reputation by allowing the justice system to keep ramping up it’s consequences. It’s getting to the point where it’s ridiculous! If I read an article about four kids going to jail for four days for having two house parties FOUR MONTHS APART, I would genuinely be worried about going to that school, and would most likely attend another one if I could.

    These kids are clearly being made an example out of, and it’s meant to scare others away from hosting with a sort of ruthless suppression. BU, if you really want to solve the problem, buy a few of these cheap, rundown houses and LET THE GREEK COMMUNITY SHARE THEM. KEEP TABS ON THEM. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY. DON’T JUST POINT THE FINGER WHEN SOMETHING THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE LEAKS ONTO THE NEWS.

    I am thankful that BU has shown be the difference between Pragmatism and traditional thinking. This is an example of traditional thinking at it’s finest, and is the OPPOSITE of what BU should stand for. Think scientifically. Abandon this silly dogmatic policy of litigating students for adapting to circumstance. If there is any hope for progress, that is the ONLY way.

    1. Why do you write this as if this is about BU? These kids broke state laws and a City Ordinance designed to save lives; they violated their probation. The only thing BU had to do with this sad story is that the young men are BU students.

    2. Wow, you actually brought up some really good points in this comment. I encourage you to re-write in a more formal way and send it to the dean, opinion section of the daily free press, etc.

  29. I am very pleased to learn that other alumni read BU Today. Current students may be surprised that even an ancient alumnus (class of 1955) has a continued interest and commitment to the University’s place and growth in the community.

    I was also a staff member at BU for awhile, and a fraternity advisor. One of my five grandsons recently graduated from college with a strong allegiance to his fraternity brothers. I don’t have, therefore, an animus to that world, but I do strongly recommend that current fraternity officers read “The Fraternity Problem” in the March issue of The Atlantic. It is not a moralizing condemnation but, rather, a startling review of the legal problems, litigation, and settlements facing sponsors of out-of-control parties that involve both members and non-members – even those who were not invited.

    I will confess that I am a little disappointed in the “dude, it’s only a party” comments. The incident we are talking about (reminder: breaking parole agreements) is only one of a series that include a student caught in an overcrowded burning house, a fraternity hazing that seemed to go too far, and boorish behavior by some hockey players. Higher education is big business in this city. The news media focus on developments that point out both academic successes and student excess. In this context, what happened at an official ZBT party is a legitimate story. It should also be noted that all students and alumni mentioned in BU publications have their college and class numeration listed.

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