Minneapolis would like to put an end to underage drinking parties by upping penalties for anyone caught hosting an event for minors if drinking is involved.

The change, according to KARE11.com, comes after a 19-year-old man left such an event, suffered a slip and fall accident, and died while frozen to the sidewalk. There was no law in place to permit prosecution of those hosting the party the man allegedly attended. The town where the party took place, Chaska, adopted a "social host ordinance." This holds a host accountable even if he or she does not supply alcohol to the underage party.

Though Chaska was the first to adopt the police, its popularity was obvious when multiple municipalities did the same. Minneapolis would be the largest city to adopt the law, and it does pose some concerns due to the presence of the University of Minnesota campus.

Under the social host ordinance, a fraternity house hosting a party could be held liable if an underage party goer is found to be intoxicated. The host could receive a 90 day jail sentence even if he or she did not supply the liquor or have any knowledge of the underage drinking taking place.

Obviously, this poses concerns for students. The ordinance would hold some students accountable for the actions of others. However, police in participating communities say this is one way to allow self-regulation of events. Chaska police cite statistics showing underage drinking is down a supposed 50% in their area. They base this on the number of calls they receive regarding underage parties.

Of course, there are many college presidents who feel this ordinance could push underage drinking even further behind closed doors. College staff already sees issues with underage drinking laws on campus, and deaths due to alcohol poisoning have officially topped deaths due to drunken driving in the college-aged population. Some college presidents are behind the push to lower the drinking age back to 18.

If that were the case, nearly every person on a college campus would be of legal drinking age. It may be easier, then, to enforce a social host ordinance. Party hosts would only be held accountable, say, if a high school student showed up to attend the event. 

The way Minneapolis decides this issue will provide some indication of where the legislature stands on issues surrounding the drinking age and campus partying. College staff everywhere will be looking to Minneapolis as a potential example of what may be adopted on their own campuses in the future.