Committee recommends stricter Spring Weekend

The Student Life Committee and members of the UConn community offered a series of recommendations to improve Spring Weekend that were accepted at a Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday.

The Student Life Committee suggested shutting down unsanctioned, off-campus parties during the week (but not the weekend) and emphasized that Spring Weekend should become an event exclusive to the UConn community.

"Spring Weekend is not supposed to be a spectacle for other students to see," said Student Trustee Ross Gionfriddo. "If you're not a part of UConn, you're not welcome here on this weekend."

Students who spoke at the meeting wanted to spread the message that UConn students should take ownership of Spring Weekend.

USG President Meredith Zaritheny explained that Spring Weekend is a time when "Husky pride runs the highest."

Zaritheny said that USG is working to push Spring Weekend in a more positive direction.

"We know that this is a grassroots effort," Zaritheny said. "Change won't come from the top."

However, UConn officials are working toward administering changes that they hope will increase student safety during Spring Weekend.

The ever-growing popularity of off-campus parties on school nights before Spring Weekend concerned Student Life Committee members of the Board of Trustees.

Trustee Linda Gatling expressed the Student Life Committee's desire to eliminate an unsanctioned Thursday night party at Carriage House Apartments.

An executive summary of the report released by the Student Life Committee said, "The Town of Mansfield should continue to move forward aggressively to establish high expectations for landlords, particularly those whose properties have traditionally hosted Spring Weekend events."

The committee takes an even stronger stance in their official report.

"Landlords should be held accountable for the expenses and behaviors of their residents to the extent that the law allows," the report says.

Louise Bailey, the chairwoman of the Student Life Committee, said that, by creating a partnership with local landlords, UConn and the town of Mansfield can work toward eliminating the Thursday night kick-off party at Carriage House Apartments.

In an effort to prevent Thursday night partying, the Student Life Committee, suggested faculty enforce mandatory attendance for all Friday classes, with major projects, quizzes and exams scheduled for that day so as to maximize attendance.

Last year's party at Willington Oak Apartments was a step in the wrong direction, said Trustee Phillip Barry, who suggested UConn prevent last year's Wednesday night party at Willington Oaks from becoming a permanent part of the unsanctioned Spring Weekend tradition.

The committee also noted that not all of its concerns were academic.

"Our biggest concern is that we want the our students to be safe," Gatling said

Suggestions for increasing student safety included temporarily closing access roads, establishing road checkpoints and establishing policies to prevent the admittance of high school students and uninvited guests.

The Student Life Committee believes these measures will limit the number of non-UConn students attending Spring Weekend and therefore bolster student safety.

University President Michael Hogan said he is also concerned with improving students' attitudes toward Spring Weekend, specifically toward the alcohol consumption and nonstop partying.

"If you had a Spring Weekend with alcohol, no one would be complaining," he said. "But you bring alcohol to the party, and that's when you have underage drinking and overconsumption. But it's a small minority that causes the problems."

However, Hogan has ruled out the possibility of completely shutting down Spring Weekend.

"I'm sympathetic to the idea of having it toned down, but not to shutting it down," he said. He added that, "People refer to it [the drinking and unsanctioned university events] as a tradition, but I like to think we have happier, healthier traditions."

Hogan's concerns are also financial.

"You do have to have a certain amount of sympathy for the town of Mansfield," he said, calling Spring Weekend the most expensive party in the state.

UConn spent $174,368.47 on fire and police staffing for Spring Weekend 2008. The town of Mansfield spent a total of $23,681 for the weekend, including both police and fire/EMS staffing. In light of current budget cuts, UConn and Mansfield are looking for a way to increase safety for Spring Weekend 2009 without drastically increasing costs.

USG Comptroller Jason Ortiz said that increasing police force on Spring Weekend would be costly and could create or increase animosity between students and police.

Amanda Stauble, an 8th-semester political science major, agreed.

"I'm worried about the possibility of blocking streets, that it would turn our campus into a police state on Spring Weekend moreso than it already is," Stauble said.

Instead, Ortiz suggested introducing local food vendors to "reduce the effect of alcohol." Ortiz said inviting food vendors would increase community involvement in Spring Weekend without greatly increasing UConn's expenses.

Students present at the Board of Trustees meeting harped on their responsibility to make Spring Weekend a safer celebration of students' achievements throughout the academic year.

"The problems with Spring Weekend are student problems," Stauble said. "Ultimately, the solution will come from the students, not from the top-down."