PRINCETON BOROUGH N.J.
Local authorities are stepping up pressure to curtail underage drinking at Princeton University student eating clubs.
Undergraduate presidents of three clubs now face underage drinking-related charges, and the municipal prosecutor has gone as far as to publicly threaten to shut down the clubs.
The three club presidents Cloister Inn President Savannah Sachs, Tiger Inn President Christopher Merrick and Cottage Club President Vincent Ley have been charged with providing drinks to a minor and maintaining a nuisance, police said.
The charges, according to police, were the result of recent incidents at all three clubs in which someone under New Jersey’s legal drinking age of 21 needed medical attention after consuming alcohol.
Police say a 17-year-old woman needed medical attention at the university health center on Sept. 28 after drinking at the Cloister Inn, a 19-year-old man had to be treated at University Medical Center in Princeton after drinking at the Tiger Inn on Oct. 7, and a 17-year-old man ended up at University Medical Center on Sept. 10 after drinking at the Cottage Club.
Princeton’s 10 eating clubs operate independently of the university and are private social and networking facilities for students and alumni. They occupy stately million-dollar mansions in the borough.
