Discretion is the better part of valor when it comes successful partying.

You want to party. You have to party! You need to party!! Well, at a time when the reactionary forces of repression won''t rest so long as someone, somewhere is having fun, familiarizing yourself with the rules and regulations of partying will go a long way toward maintaining good relations with your neighbors, and protecting yourself from uniformed gate crashers armed with badges and nightsticks.

"Overall, the legal issues are the primary ones," CSU Monterey Bay''s public information director Holly White, says of hosting an on-campus party.

Just to be sure there are no questions concerning what constitutes permissable party behavior, CSU publishes a list of regulations governing parties for students living in the residence halls, and even requires Frederick Park apartment residents to sign a party contract before allowing a party to take place.

Frederick Park residents are prohibited from hosting parties from Sunday-Thursday, with Friday and Saturday night parties required to end by 1am. No more than 30 people are allowed in a residence at one time, with the host being held financially liable for any property damage.

No sale or common sources of alcohol like kegs, punch bowls or party balls are allowed, and one person must be designated to check that no minors are served and that no alcohol is served to anyone who appears intoxicated.

Provisions should be made to see to it that all guests can return home safely, although the party contract doesn''t explicitly state that the host is responsible or liable.

For students living in the residence halls (aka "dorms"), many of the same rules apply, although guests are limited to no more than seven people in any room or common area unless there is pre-approval.

Parties are limited to Friday and Saturday nights with a midnight curfew.

CSUMB regulations also stipulate that anyone hosting a party must inform their neighbors prior to the event.

It is neighbors pure and simple that are the bane of any celebration, and in order to host a successful off-campus party, local police departments recommend keeping your neighbors in mind before deciding to host a party.

What happens if the police do come knocking on your door?

"It''s up to the discretion of the officer when we get a call from a complainant," says Marina Police watch commander Scott Clegg. "The officer will make the determination if the party is too loud and if the situation is out of hand."

While Clegg says a single call would be enough to get an officer to respond, that doesn''t necessarily mean the party would be shut down, and that the responding officer may only ask that the revelers voluntarily try to keep things quieter.

Despite concerns that a police appearance on your doorstep might be grounds for an automatic bust, Clegg says that officers responding to a complaint don''t automatically insist on inviting themselves in to check if any laws are being violated.

"That can happen, but normally we don''t search the residence," says Clegg. "If there is some reason to believe a violation is going on we will ask to come inside, although by law we have to have a search warrant unless we get permission or there is an exigent circumstance where we believe someone may be injured."

Clegg says that while the host wouldn''t be held criminally responsible if a guest got into a car accident as a result of too much drinking, there could be civil liabilities to be aware of.

Similar to Marina''s policy, Seaside Police Captain James Davis says his department doesn''t respond to complaints looking to bust revelers, but primarily to see whether the peace is being disturbed.

"It depends on what is in plain view," says Davis. "If we see someone underage we will check IDs, and if a minor is drinking they can be arrested or cited and the owner of the house can be in trouble for contributing to the delinquency of minors, but beyond that, we know everyone is going to have parties and we don''t say no to parties."

If push comes to shove, Davis says that at worst, his department will issue a misdemeanor fine for violation of the city''s noise ordinance, but normally only if the reporting party wants to sign a citation.

Davis'' best advice for anyone who wants to host a party and avoid a visit from the police is to, "Invite your neighbor."

And if the police do come knocking at your door, it''s probably not a good idea to ask if the officer would like a beer or a hit off your joint, unless you measure the success of your party by the number of arrests. cw