Liquor law violations more than doubled between 2003 and 2004 on and off campus, according to the annual Ball State University Campus Crime Statistics report.
David Fried, director of student rights and community standards, said this was partially because of the Muncie Police Department's announcement to crack down on house parties in March 2004.
"In spring of 2004, efforts were made on the part of Muncie and Ball State police to enforce liquor laws on and around campus as part of the 'Police Yourself' campaign," Fried said.
University police reported to Fried they were getting more calls than usual from the residence halls regarding illegal possession of alcohol.
"One thing that might have contributed to the increases in the residence halls might have to do with the crackdown on off-campus locations," Fried said.
A total of 463 citations were issued on campus for liquor law violations in 2004. Fried said these are instances where the police were not called.
"Generally, housing and residence staff will handle alcohol offenses on their own," Fried said.
The information used to create the campus crime statistics comes from several places. University Police reports are the main source, but Housing and Residence Life also contributes, Fried said. To ensure that no crimes are reported twice, Housing and Residence Life only provides information that was not reported to police.
Fried is also required to collect information from the Muncie Police Department, Delaware County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police and Indiana Excise Police.
Other offenses on the report include forcible sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft; however, the numbers remain in single digits each year.
Near the end of 2004, more than 30 cars were broken into on campus, which led police to look into security cameras for campus' main parking lots. Gene Burton, director of public safety, said this has yet to happen.
"Problems among the administration have not yet been resolved," he said.
The university is required to report campus crime information as a part of the Clery Act of 1990. If a school fails to fulfil this requirement, they can face fines of up to $25,000 per violation or be suspended from federal student aid programs.
Fried said his department is trying to increase safety by posting crime alerts when trends are noticed and by passing out information on how students can protect themselves.
"We're always in an ongoing effort to reduce crime and violations on campus," Fried said. "The more you enforce liquor and drug regulations, the more it will be a deterrent."
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