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11-07-2006, 12:52 PM
Stores near OSU agree to request
Retailers to stop selling domestic beer in glass bottles to improve safety
Associated Press
COLUMBUS - Three convenience stores near the Ohio State University campus have agreed to stop selling domestic beer in glass bottles through the end of the school year at the university's request.
The United Dairy Farmers stores near student neighborhoods are phasing out the glass bottles they have and won't reorder them, said Willie J. Young, director of off-campus student services. He talked about the agreement with a subcommittee of the board of trustees Friday.
An employee at one of the stores said it doesn't have domestic beer available in glass bottles, while an employee at another store said they still do. Employees at the third United Dairy Farmers store near the campus wouldn't say whether they had the beer in stock.
Young said he sought the ban because of safety concerns, including past problems with students throwing glass bottles at police.
``Beer bottles are lethal weapons when thrown empty, and cans don't hurt you empty,'' Young said.
Getting glass bottles out of the student neighborhoods could help as the university prepares for the much anticipated game against archrival Michigan on Nov. 18, said Douglas G. Borror, chairman of the trustees' academic and student affairs committee.
``Small steps add up to major changes,'' he said.
Broken glass from beer bottles in campus neighborhoods has been used to cut tires and is an eyesore, Young said. Students wearing flip-flops or walking home barefoot after a night in high heels have cut their feet.
The convenience stores targeted are the ones closest to the student neighborhoods that tend to have the most parties, Young said. He has also begun talking to a nearby gas station.
``We'll do whatever the university tells us to do, to a degree,'' said Jay Scherer, a United Dairy Farmers beer distribution manager in Cincinnati.
Eventually, Young would like all the bars with patios near campus to serve alcohol in plastic bottles and cups.
The university's request only applies to domestic beer, Young said.
``Our students drink cheap beer, so the foreign beers are not a problem,'' he said. ``You never see those bottles in the neighborhood.''
After Ohio State beat Texas on the road 24-7 on Sept. 9, police arrested 17 people, including five charged with arson, in Columbus. About 40 fires, started on couches, mattresses and trash bins, were set in student neighborhoods, police said.
City and university officials are expected to announce their plan for the Michigan game on Nov. 18. People from the university's Office of Student Affairs will be out after the game and on the lookout for out-of-control parties, said Barbara Rich, assistant vice president for student affairs
Retailers to stop selling domestic beer in glass bottles to improve safety
Associated Press
COLUMBUS - Three convenience stores near the Ohio State University campus have agreed to stop selling domestic beer in glass bottles through the end of the school year at the university's request.
The United Dairy Farmers stores near student neighborhoods are phasing out the glass bottles they have and won't reorder them, said Willie J. Young, director of off-campus student services. He talked about the agreement with a subcommittee of the board of trustees Friday.
An employee at one of the stores said it doesn't have domestic beer available in glass bottles, while an employee at another store said they still do. Employees at the third United Dairy Farmers store near the campus wouldn't say whether they had the beer in stock.
Young said he sought the ban because of safety concerns, including past problems with students throwing glass bottles at police.
``Beer bottles are lethal weapons when thrown empty, and cans don't hurt you empty,'' Young said.
Getting glass bottles out of the student neighborhoods could help as the university prepares for the much anticipated game against archrival Michigan on Nov. 18, said Douglas G. Borror, chairman of the trustees' academic and student affairs committee.
``Small steps add up to major changes,'' he said.
Broken glass from beer bottles in campus neighborhoods has been used to cut tires and is an eyesore, Young said. Students wearing flip-flops or walking home barefoot after a night in high heels have cut their feet.
The convenience stores targeted are the ones closest to the student neighborhoods that tend to have the most parties, Young said. He has also begun talking to a nearby gas station.
``We'll do whatever the university tells us to do, to a degree,'' said Jay Scherer, a United Dairy Farmers beer distribution manager in Cincinnati.
Eventually, Young would like all the bars with patios near campus to serve alcohol in plastic bottles and cups.
The university's request only applies to domestic beer, Young said.
``Our students drink cheap beer, so the foreign beers are not a problem,'' he said. ``You never see those bottles in the neighborhood.''
After Ohio State beat Texas on the road 24-7 on Sept. 9, police arrested 17 people, including five charged with arson, in Columbus. About 40 fires, started on couches, mattresses and trash bins, were set in student neighborhoods, police said.
City and university officials are expected to announce their plan for the Michigan game on Nov. 18. People from the university's Office of Student Affairs will be out after the game and on the lookout for out-of-control parties, said Barbara Rich, assistant vice president for student affairs