It seems easy: your friend with a fake ID buys a pitcher at the Rathskeller, you fill your cup, and Open Mic night gets a little better. The Union could almost pass for a bar, aside from the fact that if you're caught drinking underage, it could result in suspension from the university.
Most underage drinking occurs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. On these nights Rathskeller bartenders go around and check identification at tables of students, according to UW-Madison junior and Rathskeller bartender Byron Malkus.
\We get a few fakes every now and then, but the biggest problem is people buying beer for other people,"" Malkus said.
To buy a beer at the Rathskeller, a patron of age must present a valid driver's license as well as a student ID. If no student ID is presented, that person is expected to complete a guest pass. Malkus usually holds the driver's license at this point, preventing a fake ID user from copying the address.
The bartenders are specifically trained to spot fake IDs, and if the bartender has any doubt of the ID's validity, they have four binders with every student's name, age, and student ID number to verify. If the ID is fake, it is then confiscated, and the student's name is recorded and given to the Dean of Students Office.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam has a list of each student's misconduct, whether academic or non-academic. Using a fake ID may not result in suspension, but a history of violations might. Citations from residence halls, house parties and football game days are all taken into consideration.
According to Berquam, the use of a fake ID is often accompanied by underage consumption, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public urination. These charges are all taken into consideration when the Dean of Students Office makes its decision.
""There's no recipe that's hard and fast,"" Berquam said. ""We try to look at each individual student and figure out what's going on in their life, what other things they are bringing in here, such as previous history and other citations, and then try to figure out what we can do to interrupt this behavior and continue the student's success here.""
If the student cooperates with Rathskeller employees, there is usually no reason for the police to be called, according to University of Wisconsin Police Officer Jeffrey Ellis. However, most officers will give citations to underage drinkers if they see it.
""It's really up to the officer's discretion,"" Ellis said.
UW-Madison sophomore Rylan Soref was caught using a fake ID last year, and the bartender made a deal with him. If Soref forfeited the fake, the bartender would not notify the Dean's Office and his parents would not receive a letter.
He accepted the deal, but his parents still received a letter from the Dean's Office.
""To drink at the Union is not difficult, but to buy alcohol there it is,"" Soref said.
