Minimal police citations on campus
By Annie Gleba, Staff Writer
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Photo by Kristen Hartwell |
| Juniors Christine Driscoll and Jenna Lyman enjoy hot dogs in the 300s field. |
In the past, P-Day has been a difficult day for authorities to handle. This year, students attempted to prove that P-Day is a tradition that deserves to remain on campus for years to come.
Two years ago, P-Day ended with 101 student citations, leading the college’s administration to put the event on probation. Many students were upset with the police presence on campus and with the way the police handled situations.
Two years later, P-Day seems to have gone much smoother. According to Kyla Waldron, North Campus R.A., there were no problems that she heard of during the time she was on duty.
“I heard it was a pretty good day. I didn’t hear of anyone getting in trouble. I heard of kids getting stopped and asked to show ID, but they were all over 21. I think kids wised up this year and kept it classy,” Waldron said.
Mike Samara, dean of students, said that behavior this P-Day was about equal to last year and much better than two years ago.
“I know that student leadership, student workers, Physical Plant staff, Security staff and Residence Life staff joined together to create a positive tone for the weekend. The vast majority of students watched out for each other — truly the St. Michael’s way,” Samara said.
Seven students were brought to either Act 1 or the Correctional Center Detox Unit. The majority of students seemed to be staying with their friends and not wandering off alone, Samara said. However, he said he was concerned that some of the people who were detained were wandering around by themselves before they were stopped.
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Photo by Michael DeGrandpre |
| Junior Scott Thompson dives off a slide in the inflatable obstacle course. |
“The most disturbing part of the weekend for me is that some of the seven students who went to detox were out stumbling on the campus by themselves. Considering some of their high blood alcohol levels, I am thankful that the local police or campus Security and Residence Life staff got them to a safe place to sober up,” Samara said.
There were several Colchester Police officers and a representative of the state’s Alcohol and Liquor Control staff on campus on both Friday and Saturday, Samara said. He said his main concern for P-Days to come is that so many students put such an emphasis on heavy drinking, as was displayed on some students’ T-shirts this weekend.
Samara said the weekend went well—1,400 students attended the midnight breakfast. The comedy show and the O.A.R. concert were well attended. Many students participated in the day’s events without trouble.
Senior Class President Lauren Remmes said that P-Day was very successful all around. Bringing back old events like the trike race and the tug of war and mud wrestling seemed to be a popular idea, with many students coming out to participate.
As far as citations and students getting taken off campus, Remmes said that nothing drastic seemed to have occurred.
“The number was still really low in comparison to two years ago,” Remmes said.
Contact Annie Gleba at agleba@smcvt.edu
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