6B September 7,2011 Nerdenid 36 Pens, cardboard squares, my dignity - I'm ready. "Hi, would you like to take an anonymous survey for The Michi- gan Daily?" Students standing in line at Charley's have plenty of time to fill it out. My recorder is tucked away in my bag - the Daily has a firm policy about never interviewing people under the influence. I still caught pieces of conversations as students waited to enter. "Rick's has gotten a lot stricter recently." "Is this a sex survey?" "Skeeps is like swiss cheese." "This article is awesome." "I was 28 in my ID." "Conor O'Neill's took mine." "The Jug took mine." "Will this get everyone in trou- ble?" Scorekeepers Sportsgrill & Pub: 25 attemped 1 BOTH LCT IN AND DtNIED "Obviously, everyone that a comes in has a valid ID. It's our job to make the best judgment on whether or not it's fake," says Ed Evers, Scorekeepers Sportsgrill & Pub manager, as he leans closer across the bar. "Everyone has a fake ID, espe- cially on a college town," he said. According to Evers, Skeeps will generally confiscate an ID if the person tries to fight the bar's deci- sion. "If they just kind of walk away. .oit's just like: OK, all right, now we know what to look for, they've come inbefore," Evers said. "We've seen their fake. We were the judge and jury on that. "So yeah, we'll just let them walk away with it." Fake lDs from Michigan 23 At midnight on a Thursday, the bar is full, the line is to the street and it seems like everyone is drunk. "Also in a birthday party, 20 bucks there's always a fake ID, always," Tim said. "What are the chances at a birthday party the only one in her pack turns 21? "Usually they're really annoying because they want special treat- ment ... We see so many a night that we don't care. I don't care." IDs are misrepresentations, and Dobson is holding up the line those are really the hardest ones now to keep the bar from over- to catch because obviously people flowing. The bargoers can either can change their look pretty easily wait in line or wait at the bar. - hair color, putting on weight or "Nope. It's not real, have a nice losing weight, cutting their hair." night," Dobson tells one persistent Most of the managers and guy, whose threat to call the police bouncers at the other bars agree. falls flat. "Call whoever you want, With more than 5,000 students just step outside while you do it," in the senior class alone - most Dobson says. of whom are 21 or older - chanc- Dobson is forced to step away es are you can find someone who from his post to try and usher the looks like you or knows someone man on his cell phone outside. who does. "We run the show in here, and people don't realize that some- times," Tim explains as he steps "W E RUN up to block the line. The next per- T son attempts to pass me their ID, THE S H OW thinking I'm a bouncer and ignor- IN H ER E, ing the scene to their right. Dobson eventually returns to AND PEOPLE his spot next to the host stand. He DO N'T let the guy hold on to his fake. "The Pennsylvania IDs have REALIZE THAT all the county names in them. I ,,METIME . couldn't see those," he says." There "J M E TllM S - are tons of fake Pennsylvania IDs _- Charley's bouncer going around, so I'd rather err on the side of caution." Tim He takes a sip from his water. Ashley's: 18 attempted 3 DtNItD 1 BOTH LtT IN AND DtNIED Ashley'a wants your ID. That is, if it's fake."E RY N "We offer our hosts an incen- "EVE RYON E tive for catching fakes," Ashley's HAS A manager Jerome Higgins tells me. "Every fake that they catch they FAKE ID, get $5 in pub bucks. ESPECIALLY "When we catch one, we keep it," he adds. "We might get one or O N A two (fake IDs) a week." Higgins isn't too concerned over CO L LEG E minors attempting to get into Ash- TOWVN " ley's on State Street. He knows the -I crowd here is a bit older and more - Skeeps manager mature, not just any student is try- Ed Evers ing to get in. "We don't quiz people on infor- mation too often," he said. "If you Besides the basic structure of have a fake and you haven't both- your face, height within a few ered memorizing it, well..." inches and eye color (and even here you just have to remember to claim The Blue Leprechaun: 37 attempted you are wearing contacts), you can fly under the bouncers' "diligent 3 DENIED inquiry" and into the watering 1 BOTH LET IN AND DENIED hole of your choice. Meinke was not eager to sit "I'd like to think that we're very down with me. After a game of thorough and very strict in com- phone tag, a Friday night sitting parison to other places - no names at the bar waiting to talk to him mentioned." and what was clearly my greatest The bouncers at Blue Lep will weapon in gathering information identify and turn back somewhere (all-out begging), I was relieved to between 10 to 30 false IDs during get him to sit down with me for a a busy night, according to general brief interview. manager Scott Meinke. Though it's my final interview, "A lot of what we get with fake there are still a few butterflies left. As much as I love Charley's, Blue Lep is where you can usually find me when I'm on South U. This is not a man I want to piss off. I can see a flash of regret in his eyes when I give him the news - his bouncers aren't doing the job he thought they were. According to Meinke, they have a clear policy: If the ID is expired, bouncers do not accept them. On the table are the two culprits - two expired IDs from New York. One was given to me by a friend after she turned 21 (it had been her older sister's in a past life). The other is real. In fact it's my ID, but today is 37 days past the expiration date and "UNDER 21" is printed in red next to my picture. He takes a bit longer to respond when I reveal the truth about my real one, but it's understandable why not only his staff, but most of the nearby bars end up admitting recently expired IDs. The staff at Charley's all but ignores the expiration date, and despite what the assistant manag- er at Rick's told me, the bouncers seem to follow a different policy. I think the second ID stings a little more. It's long past its expi- ration date, and while I might look similar enough to the photo to pass a round of questioning, my examination at Blue Lep has never included any words besides "ID, please" and "thank you." "You've used this ID to get in here? Hmm, well - congratula- tions," Meinke tells me. He asks me a 'few questions about where the ID came from, then admits that he would prob- ably let me in with it as well. "As I said before, misreps are the hard- est to get," he says. Always failed 12 12:20 A.M. I Zack Frorenza, anoth- er regular bouncer at the door, has stepped in to pinch hit as the line swells. Dobson and Tim are stationed nearby to continue to enforce their brand of Charley's law. An AAPD officer steps inside and takes a look around. "It's the first time I've ever seen one come in," Frorenza said to me. According to Tim, there was another walkthrough about a month ago. Waiters rush by the door, pitch- ers of beer splashing onto the ground. Waitresses hurry to close tabs behind me. The stream of people doesn't stop until 1:08 a.m., but the fakes keep coming. The ID reference book reveals a fake Maryland ID with a seal about double the size it is supposed to be. The owner tells me she got it from Toronto. After handing off their ID, some people will attempt to recreate the look of their photo - one lifts his hat and flashes a huge smile. .Others automatically hand credit cards over with the photo identification - in most cases this leads to more suspicion. I remember Dobson telling me earlier, "You can get your friend's credit card just as easily as you can get their ID." One man is prepared, armed with a passport and two credit cards. After receiving his stamp and sliding toward the side of the bar I spot a smile slowly broaden- ing and his friend elbows him in the side. The security staff isn't only responsible for scanning IDs. They move about the restaurant guard- ing against any signs of violence, extreme intoxication or people trying to hop the fence outside. We catch a girl attempting to enter with the same ID as some- one earlier, probably passed over the fence by her friend. Nerves are by far the biggest giveaway. Two IDs take a shaky path into the bouncer's hands, and more than a few questions are answered with a warble. Others put on an act, conve- niently answeringtheir phones after the handoff or trying to dis- tract the bouncers. "They immediately turn their head and talk to their friend like I'm not gonna notice," Dobson said, turning his head in panto- miment eoe Itws' i, The third glass of the night is nudged off the rail at the bar, shat- tering in the middle of server thor- oughfare. Frorenza tells someone he can't accept his ID because it's expired, despite allowing several vertical IDs signifying under 21 in moments before. "It wasn't him, but that's just easier to tell him" he says. That reminds me of the last time I was denied at Charley's. The bouncer told me he couldn't accept my ID because it was expired. When I pressed on about the rejec- tion he added: "I also don't believe it's you." Come to think of it, I think Dob- son turned down my Maine ID the first time I tried to use it. There is no such thing as a per- fect game in this job, but 18 refused IDs is pretty good for one night. Wednesday, Septe*mber 7,2011 // The Statement 3 Five of the most talked-about stories of the week, ranked in ascending order of actual importance , - : Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong was forced to leave a Southwest Airlines plane Thursday when he refused to pull up his sagging pants. Southwest Airlines officials apologized and allowed him to board the next flight. Former French President Jacques Chirac is not required to attend his corruption trial, which started Monday, due to poor health. Chirac, 78, is charged with creating fake city jobs to fund his conservative party. Wisconsin researchers announced Monday that milk coming from large and extra-large dairies is more sanitary than milk from smaller, family-run dairies due to fewer bacteria caused by poor refrigeration or unclean equipment. Pakistan army officials reported the arrest of senior al-Qaeda leader Younis al-Mauritani and two accomplices on Monday. The arrests are reportedly the result of a collaboration between U.S. and Pakistani intelligence. Wildfires about 25 miles east of Austin, Texas, have burned more than 1,000 homes in the last week and forced more than 5,000 people to evacuate. The fires have reportedly destroyed 3.5 million acres in Texas since December. FTT1111* 1 6"111111 ...1. ,111..I,,11,1T1T..Ti..TF.TI.T.T.IT1 quotes of the week from the archives "Get the hell off the beach in Asbury Park. You're Mister becomes sister done. Do not waste any more time working on your tan."ar~ GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-N.J.), in reaction to reports of beachgoersh in New Jersey staying at the shore and ignoring calls for evacuation in preparation for Hurricane Irene.f "The timefor Washington games is over. The time for action is now." - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, said during a Labor Day speech in Detroit, refering to the strong opposition between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. FILt PHOTO/Oaily F or sororities on campus, the fall season welcomes new women to the organi- the rules one honor sorority made headlines by accepting an unconventional member. Women's honorsociety Pi Lambda Theta initiated then-School of Education Dean Wilbur Cohen, making him the first male member in the sorority's 65-year No. 340: No. 341: No. 342: history ("Sorority initiates first man in 65 years: Wilbur cohen," 10/24/1974). The It's OK to drop Throwing your An 8 p.m. kickoff sorority began considering male members when it received a warning from Cohen that they risked losing its on-campus office location if it did not desegregate its a class if your broken TV on your time means you membership. Pi Lambda Theta's brother organization, Phi Delta Kappa, received professor uses neighbor's lawn don't have to blast the same warning and began inducting women six months prior to its female Comic Sans in the is not an effective Teenage Dream at counterpart. Upon his acceptance as a member, Cohen said, "Of all the things I've done in PowerPoint. form of cleaning. 6 a.m. Please. forty years, this is the most unusual." by the numbers COUTSYOF THE BBC In thousands, the number of people in Regions in East Africa that have been declared Percent of children in Africa's Bay region Somalia who may die because of the famine zones, with the southern Bay region currently enduring malnutrition, which is drought sweeping East Africa. experiencingunprecedented conditions. twice the rate required to declare'famine.