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Police charged 65 people at Slippery Rock University, on campus and at surrounding apartment complexes, with underage drinking in September, according to reports from university and state police.

In response, university police have invested additional funds into patrols and started carrying portable breathalyzers to cut testing and transport times, according to David Wilmes, vice president of student affairs.

“We recognize we don’t have the power as a university to completely eliminate underage drinking,” Wilmes said. “Students are going to do what they want to do.”

The state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement cited 32 students with the possession or purchase of alcohol by a minor in September, according to public information release reports. State police communications director Myles Snyder said an additional 13 students were charged during the first week of the semester, which began Aug. 25.

Slippery Rock University police cited an additional 20 students with the possession or purchase of alcohol by a minor, according to chief Kevin Sharkey.

But if students managed to evade enforcement, they likely won’t be able to evade the university’s education.

Wilmes said organizations preventing underage drinking have largely switched their terminology to “dangerous drinking” from “binge drinking.” He said while binge drinking depends on factors such as weight and sex, dangerous drinking is closer associated with the action of “drinking to get drunk” and putting oneself in a dangerous or difficult position because of the amount they drink.

The university employs certified peer wellness educators and counselors to conduct presentations and student outreach. Much of the education revolves around the academic, social and legal consequences drinking and underage drinking citations can bring, Wilmes said.

For academic consequences, Wilmes said every underage drinking citation issued is also reported to the university to pursue conduct violations associated with underage drinking against the student.

For social and legal consequences, students are educated on the difficulty of getting a job in their degree field with a criminal record, Wilmes said.

University police also issued four citations for driving under the influence on campus, according to district court records. Sharkey said the department has issued eight DUI citations so far in 2025, which is an increase from the same time last year.

However, underage drinking citation numbers are steady compared with previous years at the start of the semester, he said.

The state police citations come from a College Enforcement and Public Awareness Initiative that, in conjunction with school-based programs, aims to reduce underage drinking, increase awareness of the risks and strengthen partnerships between universities and law enforcement.

The Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement uses both uniformed and undercover officers to conduct compliance checks, minor patrols and investigations around licensed alcohol providers and at public events, Snyder said. Many of the citations issued in September were in the parking lots of apartment complexes close to campus.

The university has also had conversations with Slippery Rock Township, Slippery Rock borough, university police and neighboring apartment complexes about underage drinking at off-campus parties.

Wilmes said it’s common for larger numbers of underage drinking citations to be issued in September, when students are acclimating to their new sense of freedom. University police and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board push for more enforcement at the beginning of the semester as a result, Wilmes said.