At Harvard, students have always had a cavalier attitude toward restrictions on alcohol.

One University administrator recalls an incident in which a student stood up in a College dining hall and invited students--regardless of age--to purchase tickets for an upcoming "booze cruise."

"Remember," the student said, "in Massachusetts you need two forms of fake ID."

But several college administrators, pointing to a growing number of alcohol-related crimes and injuries on campus, say they are finding it increasingly difficult to see the humor in such an attitude.

Both Harvard police and officials of University Health Services (UHS) say it is now routine for them to handle several calls each weekend concerning students who are injured or have become unconscious as a result of overindulgence in alcohol.

And College officials say they are increasingly aware of the consequences of campus drinking. According to Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, more than 95 percent of Harvard's disciplinary incidents--including date rapes, vandalism and fights--are related to alcohol.

Officials from many branches of the University--from house masters to health officials to police officers--are beginning to question whether the University should shift gears in its approach to student alcohol use.

"Alcohol is the biggest health problem of this generation," says Lowell House Master William H. Bossert '59. "But students just don't seem to see that. They just aren't impressed by that."

Harvard currently has an "umbrella" policy on alcohol that attempts to respect students' right to privacy. No explicit rules exist for parties that stay private, but once a party exceeds a certain size or noise level, officials consider it "public" and may shut it down.

"The policy in the past has always been `what ever you do in your own room is OK, as long as it doesn't go out into the hall and affect others,'" says UHS Director David S. Rosenthal '49.

But in recent weeks, many students have complained that College officials are cracking down on parties that would previously have escaped notice.

At several "private" parties, Harvard police have checked for ID's, and asked underage students to leave. And the efforts of liquor stores to deliver kegs have also come under close scrutiny.

Three weeks ago, a delivery van was towed because of an invalid registration. The following week, police threatened to arrest a driver for having a photocopy of his registration and not the original.

The strict enforcement has left local retailers saying that delivering to Harvard students is not worth the hassle.

"I don't need the shit," says one local liquor dealer. "I'm not losing my license for eight bucks [per keg]."