Daniel Barnes:

On the surface, the assignment seemed like manna from journalism heaven ? a research article that entailed purchasing an alcoholic beverage at a dozen local bars to see which establishments would ask for identification.

However, the sobering purpose of the assignment ? to gauge the vigilance with which area bars scrutinize the legality of their clientele ? demanded responsibility (beverages were purchased but not consumed) and raised troubling issues about the role of alcohol in college life.

National news reports about binge drinking mishaps on campus have proliferated in recent years, and the problem hit home last fall with the drunken driving-related death of 20-year-old Sacramento State student Jesse Snow after a night of drinking at the Chevy?s Restaurant on Howe Avenue.

Snow was a passenger in a car driven by fellow student Stephen Head, also 20, who was later charged with felony drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter, and whose preliminary hearing will take place March 29. Neither of the men were carded at Chevy?s.

A $25 million lawsuit was brought against Chevy?s by Snow?s parents, who claimed that the restaurant regularly allowed underage patrons to purchase alcohol. Head is also being sued by the family, for $5 million.

Although choosing me for this assignment seemed a bit far-fetched ? as a 25- year-old over six feet tall, there?s no mistaking me for Haley Joel Osment ? crowded bars on the weekends are dark and disorienting places, and there are plenty of stubble-faced teenagers who look just old enough to fool a disinterested or drunk bartender.

My first stop was The Trap, a ramshackle joint on Riverside Blvd. that serves only beer and wine. There were only a handful of patrons on hand, all 30-ish, and my identification wasn?t requested.

Similar disinterest was displayed at Socal?s and Cheaters Sports Bar where, despite the young, boisterous crowds that were flooding in, no identification checkers were stationed at the entrance and no inspection was made at the bar.

Elsewhere, clientele appeared to dictate vigilance ? while the Pine Cove Tavern?s student-heavy crowd merited a thorough check at the door, the almost yuppie bent of Streets of London allowed me to enter and order without being carded.

I did get carded while ordering a Corona at the Chevy?s Restaurant that served Jesse Snow last fall, and the bartender?s vest pin sternly warned, “Don?t even try it.” However, the same order was filled without question at the El Torito next door.

A 2001 Sacramento News and Review cover story stated that recent concerns about rowdy club patrons “transformed Old Sacramento into a virtual police state on weekends.” Perhaps as a result of the increased scrutiny, the bars in Old Sac were considerably more attentive about checking ages ? both Fanny Ann?s and Sports Corner scoured them closely.

The cheap drinks and loose booty at The Zebra Club and The Press Club bring in the starving students (some of them so impoverished they can barely afford clothes), and both establishments have hired flashlight-wielding card checkers to man the doors.

I stopped by Celestin?s Caribbean Restaurant in midtown last, where no card was asked for. In all, I visited 12 bars over three nights, and was carded at six of them ? four times at the door and twice at the bar.

So what lessons are to be learned? Bars that explicitly cater to a college crowd or that have had problems in the past are more likely to request a thorough identification check, while less conspicuous establishments are likely to be more lenient. Also, the most effective tactic for keeping out underage drinkers appears to be stationing a checker at the bar?s entrance.

Noeh Nazareno:

I?m a junior-year Communication Studies major, 21 years old, and I?m not an alcoholic. I don?t spend my free time downing drinks, and the only alcohol I consume on a regular basis is the wine during communion at my Catholic church.

Nevertheless, I recently ventured into several bars around Sacramento. Why? Because last semester a couple of Sacramento State students went into Chevy?s Restaurant on Howe Avenue, ordered and drank some alcoholic beverages, drove drunk and got into a car accident, killing 20-year-old Jesse Snow.

Neither of the men was carded at the restaurant. I wanted to see how many of my chosen bars would card me.

Being from South Sacramento , I began my investigation on the evening of Feb. 22 at The Trap (6125 Riverside Blvd.): a divey little bar where all the customers (except me) seemed to know the bartender, and each other. At 9:18 p.m., I ordered a Bud Light and played some pool with my designated driver. Yes, I had a designated driver ? but notice I didn?t mention whipping out my driver?s license? The bartender only went so far as to ask if either of us was an organ donor, but not to see our licenses. Strike one!

The next destination was the Chevy?s Restaurant on Howe Avenue where I ordered a beer at 9:59 p.m. In light of last semester?s incident, it was reassuring that they not only asked for mine and my friend?s licenses, but also ran them through a machine for verification. Not bad.

We then drove Downtown, visiting The Press Club (10:39 p.m.) and The Zebra Club (10:47 p.m.), both within a block of each other on P Street. Both clubs carded right at the door. On toCelestin?s Restaurant & Voodoo Lounge, where I ordered a bottle of Guinness at 10:59 p.m. Strike two, no card required!

I visited two more bars that evening, Sports Corner Cafe (11:34 p.m.) and Fanny Ann?s Saloon (11:36 p.m.), both in Old Sacramento. Both establishments had bouncer-looking men at the door, carding patrons.

At the end of the evening, five of seven bars had carded me (most likely due to my young appearance). Not be to deterred, I visited five more the following week.

On Feb. 28, I went back to Howe Avenue and visited El Torito restaurant (9:54 p.m.) directly across from Chevy?s. Accompanied by my designated driver, I ordered a Mango Margarita and was instantly carded by the bartender.

After snacking on some tacos, I returned to the Downtown area and walked into Cheaters Sports Bar on 32nd St. and Folsom Blvd. Though a weeknight, it felt like a Friday night, with men watching sports and flirting with women, and all of them drunk and dancing. I ordered a Corona at 10:49 p.m. and had no problem finding fine-looking girls to look at, while I pretended to sip a beer I wasn?t carded for. Ha, strike three!

I spent the remainder of the evening visiting Socal?s on 52nd and Folsom (11:09 p.m.) and Streets of London at 18th and J (11:40 p.m.); both carded me the moment I ordered my beers. I also stepped into the Pine Cove on 29th and E (11:24 p.m.) where they checked my license as I crossed the threshold to the tune of Paula Abdul songs sung in a male voice (it was Karaoke night).

Nine of 12 bars carded me over the course of two evenings. Those three establishments that didn?t card me will, hopefully, clean up their acts soon. They may not be aware of their establishment?s fate if found serving alcohol to underage persons, but they?re certainly fortunate I?m 21.