"There's been a shift, and it's made people a little more responsible," echoes Patrick M. Lee, owner of the Grafton Street restaurant/bar.

"When the education part does not work,"--he gives informational talks on drinking laws at about a dozen universities--" the big thing is enforcement," Evans says. "Kids are handcuffed, taken to the station and treated like they just robbed a bank. They're fingerprinted and put in a cell. If it's a Friday, [they] could conceivably sit there until Monday morning."

The new policy does away with the old value of lenience for college kids out of concern for hurting their futures, Evans says.

"It's always on your record if you're 17 or above," he says. "You'll always be in our system. Your fingerprints and photograph are still on file. You're always going to have to explain that blemish--it is always on record. And if the FBI has to decide between two candidates, they might take the one that doesn't have that."

The actual legal consequences for a first offense are, in most cases, slim. According to Charles E. Ouellette, assistant clerk magistrate for Brighton County, the average case is dismissed after six months if there are no further arrests.

However, a conviction for underage drinking or attempting to purchase with a fake ID is often accompanied by suspension of a driver's license.

"If that's their primary means of transportation," Lehman says, "that has a bigger effect."

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