Late hours bring inebriated to White Building

It's Saturday night at dance marathon. The dancers, beginning to look a little sluggish, perk up during the pep rally. The stands are packed with people who are dancing and moving along to the pep rally's music.

There are signs in the entrance to the 1997 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon in White Building warning visitors not to enter if they are under the influence of alcohol.

But in the wee hours of Sunday morning, spectators -- some intoxicated -- still come after their parties to support friends and acquaintances who are dancing in the marathon.

Some dancers did notice inebriated visitors, but their presence was not necessarily bothersome.

"It's not distracting," said Monica Vargas (senior-chemical engineering), a dancer with Latino Caucus. "It's not like they're affecting our performance or anything."

Some friends of hers stopped by Friday after a night out, and they were not an embarrassment, she said.

However, the presence of intoxicated people was a problem to others.

People wanting to show their support for those involved with dance marathon is good, said Christie Brown (sophomore-international politics), a dancer with College Republicans, but visiting while intoxicated is the wrong kind of message.

"It's supposed to be a positive atmosphere," she said, adding that coming intoxicated was a "negative display of support."

To curb intoxicated people showing up at dance marathon as much as possible, Tony Lombardo, overall rules and regulations chairman for dance marathon, said they have heightened people's awareness that it was not highly regarded.

"We've taken a lot of precautions," he said. The number of police has not changed or anything, he added.

The committee talked with dancers and others concerning the presence of intoxicated people at meetings before the event, Lombardo said.

"I think (the public has) gotten the point, because I hear it out there," he said.

Drunk people showing up at dance marathon and passing out or getting unruly is not something that happens, he said, but he did not want anyone at a charity involving children to be exposed to intoxication.

"There's no reason for anyone to be exposed to that," he said.

Lombardo observed intoxicated people when he danced last year, he said. He remembered people coming in and being able to smell the alcohol on their breath.

"It was disheartening to me," he said, although there weren't a great number of people showing up in that state.