Girls in heels and short dresses litter the streets, their shrieks and giggles echoing up and down the road as they climb out of cars. The night is brisk, and most of the students do not mind it as they clamber into the growing line in front of Gillary's Tavern & Nightclub. The boys, all dressed in some variation of a polo and jeans, either watch with smiles on their faces, or wrap supporting arms around the waists of their female counterparts.

It is Thursday night in Bristol, R.I., and the students of Roger Williams University are pulling their IDs and two crumpled dol­lar bills out of their pockets for the cover charge to hand over to the three bouncers that man the front door of the popular bar.

In the United States, the federal government outlaws anyone un­der the age of 21 to imbibe any sort of alcoholic beverage. Bars, restaurants, and liquor stores across the country abide by this law, Gillary's included. But with the appearance of businesses like ID Chief and the growing demand from students to be completely obliterated on any given college campus weekend, the law often falls to the side as more and more kids are drinking illegally.

Gillary's, like most bars in college towns, isn't new to the fake ID business, and usually confiscates four to eight fakes on college nights, with the number dwindling on the other six nights. While the bouncers are close to experts on examining IDs and being able to differentiate between a government-issued one and a fake, there are still many kids who think a funny face or a slight movement into shadow can trick a bouncer into thinking that the picture on the ID is actually of them.

These consistent attempts at trickery lead the bouncers to repeat the same sentence over and over, "IDs and money, everyone! And be sure to actually look me in the eye when you give me your ID."

The bouncers, upon being handed an ID, will immediately check the birth date, but there are a few other telling characteristics that go into spotting a fake. Gillary's has often busted kids that have IDs proclaiming them to be blue-eyed when their eyes are clearly brown, or a girl trying to pass as her ID's height of 5'3" when the heels she is wearing are putting her at 5'11".

There are IDs out there that are completely credible and com­pletely believable, even to those with a keenly trained eye. When­ever a bouncer at Gillary's doubts his own skill, he refers to a small paperback book entitled We I.D., a publication that is filled with photos of the real ID for each state, along with each ID's specific characteristics that prove its validity.

Fakin' It

Eight months away from being 21, Mike* is already one of the many RWU students who have experienced the nightlife at Bris­tol bars like Gillary's. Being underage, Mike has the ability over some students to at­tend a night out at a bar by using his fake ID. The ID he uses was acquired from the website ID Chief.

ID Chief is a Chinese company where underage stu­dents can order fake IDs. There is a standard order form that must be filled out and then ID Chief con­tacts the buyer via e-mail to have the ID photos sent. Once that is completed, another e-mail is received regarding pay­ment information.

Mike ordered two IDs for a total of $100, but ended up wiring $700 over to China be­cause he and a bunch of his friends filled out a group order. The website encourages students to order in a group and advertises that express ship­ping now only takes three to four days.

Living in Nantucket for the summer, Mike used his ID for the first time at bars and liquor stores on the island. He gives credit to the fact that people say he looks 21 and that bouncers or cashiers never question him.

"People think I look 21 so when I go in they as­sume it and then they check just to check it," he said.

One of the many problems with students getting caught with IDs is due to the fact that the informa­tion on the ID is not their real information. Mike, who is from Maine, ordered his ID to be his home state's ID as well as the correct height, eye color and birth date.

Emily*, a 20-year-old RWU ju­nior, stopped using her fake ID after being rejected at a bar in Providence. She had been us­ing the ID she got from a mu­tual friend's boyfriend who works at bar and confiscates IDs and then passes them along to friends. The ID that Emily was using does not have her picture or real information on it.

"The line wasn't long so I feel like they looked at it longer and then they asked me what the birth date was," she said. "I forgot it so they knew it wasn't me. They gave it back to me and said just don't use it here."

Emily had used her ID at some Bristol bars but never to buy alcohol at a store. Her ID had worked twice before at that same bar in Providence but fell victim to the trap that many bouncers and bartenders use to tell if a student is using a fake ID.

With seven more months left until her 21st birthday, Emily has sworn off using fake IDs until she has a real one.

"I'm never using one again," she said. "It's just not fun [get­ting rejected]."

Having the confidence to pull off the persona is also a factor in not getting caught, according to Mike. He has used his ID at al­most every bar in Bristol as well as the surrounding liquor stores and has never had a problem.

"If you're not smart about it you're definitely going to get in trouble," he said. "If you can't pull off acting like you're 21 then they're not going to sell it to you. They can tell you're not 21 just by the way you walk in the store."

Buying in large quantities is also an immediate give away that students may be buying underage. Mike notes that he limits what he buys in the store to only a bottle of wine and a six-pack of beer so it looks like he is buying for one. He has even seen a responsible change in his drinking habits since he has the ability to buy his own alcohol.

"I just drink for social pur­poses, I don't try to get fucked up especially now that I can buy my own stuff," Mike said. "It's so much easier to pick what I want now so I only drink nice beer and drink less of it."