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Party Smart
 When you live
off-campus, it is important to remember that you are a Bethlehem resident and you must
treat your neighbors with consideration and respect. On an everyday basis, a good
relationship is not difficult to maintain. However, hosting an occasional party can
sometimes cause problems with those otherwise friendly neighbors.
A successful party in your home or apartment means
that everyone enjoyed themselves and that you, your guests, and your neighbors were not
inconvenienced by the event. The following suggestions have been effective for students at
Lehigh and other universities:
- Invite a manageable number of guests and know whom you are inviting. Do not publicize
the event.
- Inform your immediate neighbors, let them know of your plans and encourage them to call
if there is a problem. Be sure to leave your name and telephone number. Let them know that
you will be cleaning up trash the following day. Meet them before there is a problem. If
you are polite, honest, and straightforward, they will probably be more tolerant of your
wishes.
Know your guests, feel free to turn people away whom you do not know and who are
intoxicated.
Do not collect money.
Provide non-alcoholic beverages as well as plenty of food for your guests.
Do not serve minors alcohol. You can be held responsible for any underage drinking that
goes on in your house or apartment.
No one should leave the house with a cup/glass/bottle, empty or full.
Be sure designated individuals stay sober the entire party to monitor noise or other
problems.
Keep windows closed; periodically walk around the outside of your house/apartment to
check the noise level. Be aware that Bethlehem has a noise ordinance and the police, as
well as your neighbors will expect you to keep music and noise at a reasonable level. Once
the police receive a complaint and there is a violation, a citation will be issued –
NO WARNING.
Do not let anyone drive who appears to be intoxicated.
Do not have a lot of guests leave all at one time; this creates noise and draws
attention to your party.
If the police are called and should appear at your door, remember to be polite and
cooperative. Also, remember to put your drink down before answering the door.
- Contact your neighbors and thank them for their cooperation.
- Clean up any trash associated with your party the next day.
- What draws police to a party?
- A complaint
- Noise that can be heard on the street
- Individuals carrying cups/glasses/bottles
- Someone leaving a party noise, intoxicated, and/or urinating in the public
- Large numbers of people going in and out
- Cash being exchanged for alcohol
- It is not "just like a parking ticket"
- Being found guilty of a citation means that you may also go through the Lehigh
University judicial system. Additionally, the information on the citation is considered
public information and will likely appear in local papers.
- Serving alcohol to minors results in an arrest and, if found guilty, carries a minimum
fine of $1,000. The standard university penalty is suspension or expulsion. It is no
exaggeration to say that individuals who have been arrested for this have had their career
plans drastically altered.
- In Bethlehem it is illegal to carry or possess any open vessel containing alcohol in a
public place, no matter what your age
- Individuals under the age of 21 have been cited for possession of alcohol because they
were in a motor vehicle with alcohol – even if someone in the vehicle was 21 or older
- In Pennsylvania the following underage drinking violations carry a MANDATORY SUSPENSION
OF DRIVER’S LICENSE in addition to a fine:
- Lying about your age to obtain alcohol
- Purchasing, consuming, possessing, or transporting alcohol
- Carrying a fake ID card
- If you are an adult and convicted of knowingly selling or furnishing alcoholic beverages
to a minor you face penalties of:
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