| April 23, 2001 |
Statement from William H. Hall, interim vice president for student affairs
Once again, The Ohio State University finds itself dealing with the aftermath of a very large neighborhood party that erupted into rioting and vandalism. About 1:30 a.m. Saturday, an estimated 2,000 persons were involved in disturbances on Chittenden Avenue, which spilled over onto High Street and other nearby areas, including portions of the Ohio State campus. This is the fourth time in a year that an incident of this kind has happened. We are currently studying police reports, gathering other information and preparing to take additional steps to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
While only four of those arrested or cited by police in these incidents are Ohio State students, it is logical to assume that a large number of those who behaved so badly are our students. Further, it is clear that there is a small segment of our student body that somehow sees these events as entertaining and excusable. They are neither, and that is a message that President Kirwan, I and the rest of the university administration want to send in the clearest possible manner to our students. Most of our students do understand that and do not take part in these parties. However, a significant number of students are not heeding the message.
We are setting up a program to offer rewards to those who can help identify students and others who perpetrated the most serious acts. We will be seeking photographs, videotapes and eyewitness accounts. More details will be provided in the next day or so.
Students who are identified as participating in serious offenses in violation of the Code of Student Conduct will be referred to the University Judicial system for prompt adjudication. Penalties can include probation, suspension or dismissal from Ohio State. Every Ohio State student should understand by now that this behavior is totally unacceptable and will be punished to the fullest extent possible. We must put an end to these riots before someone is seriously injured. There is no excuse for such illegal, destructive, and dangerous behavior.
After last fall’s riots, I named a committee of students, police, community members and university administrators to explore methods of preventing parties from getting out of control. They came up with a creative plan, which has been dubbed Smart Party and which involves educational efforts as well as teams of Columbus and Ohio State police officers walking or biking through the neighborhood and helping responsible hosts keep their parties under control. While the program was not able to prevent the Chittenden Avenue disturbance, it did de-escalate a situation on Norwich Avenue on Saturday night. We will continue to pilot the Smart Party concept, and I remain optimistic that it will help.
However, we will not flinch from applying discipline to those who don’t respond to reason and education.
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(LO)