• Today is the first time in four years that St. Patrick's Day has not occurred during spring break.
• Some establishments on campus are opening their doors early and offering special promotions.
• The Division of Student Affairs established the "Take the Pledge Drive" to help make students drink responsibly.

For the past three years, St. Patrick's Day has fallen in the middle of Marquette's spring break. For many students, today is the first time they'll be celebrating the holiday on campus.

Mike Vittucci, the owner of Murphy's Irish Pub and Caffrey's Pub, said today will resurrect a Marquette tradition of students celebrating St. Patrick's Day on their own campus.

Murphy's and Caffrey's both planned to open their doors at 6 a.m. today, along with Qdoba Mexican Grill, which was expected to serve egg burritos.

"We're going over the top this year," Vittucci said of the campus establishments.

In addition to opening early, both bars are offering drink deals, giveaways and live — music including Irish bagpipers — throughout the day, Vittucci said.

He said he expects long lines before 6 a.m. — perhaps 300 or more people at each bar. The bars had planned to give out free Krispy Kreme doughnuts to students waiting in line at both bars.

Capt. Russ Shaw, associate director of the Department of Public Safety, said officers will be on a heightened alert because more students will be out than usual on a Tuesday.

"We're going to try and treat it like a weekend night," Shaw said. "But St. Patrick's Day is different from a lot of other holidays because the crowds are more staggered."

That's because some students will start drinking at 6 a.m. and be finished by the afternoon, while others will not even start drinking until the evening, Shaw said.

"With the weather being as nice as it is, there will definitely be a lot of people out," Shaw said. "But if people don't over-indulge, everyone can have a good time."

In response to the typical way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day on a college campus, the Division of Student Affairs is sponsoring an alcohol summit today from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union. The event will feature information tables and panel discussions about the culture of alcohol at Marquette.

To help students think about celebrating and drinking responsibly, the Division of Student Affairs created the "Take the Pledge Drive."

Students who sign the pledge form promise to either abstain from alcohol on St. Patrick's Day or to use it responsibly if they are of legal drinking age. The forms can be found in the Office of Student Development, AMU room 121.

Jennifer Reid, the Student Affairs communications director, helped coordinate the drive.

"We're not trying to get students not to drink," Reid said. "We're just trying to get them to drink responsibly — if they are of legal drinking age."

As of yesterday, about 150 students had signed the pledge, Reid said.

Many of these students are part of the Student Leadership Summit, Marquette Student Government or residence life, she said.

"We're trying to get students to look beyond this culture that promotes St. Patrick's Day as a drinking day," Reid said. "How it got associated with partying and binge drinking, we're not really sure."