Okay so I totally need to vent after a disastrous weekend at my university. First of all I am not condoning drinking, parties, or having a good time. I didn't grow up in a convent so I know many people enjoy those things. I however am not a huge party-scene kinda gal...but that isn't relevant to my rant!
First of all every year an apartment complex near the campus holds what they call "Spring Fest." It is a party that lasts from Friday night until Sunday morning. Kind of an end of the semester party before the crunch of finals creeps up in a few weeks.
Anyway usually between 1000-2000 students go and enjoy the festivities. Yes it involves being drunk, but who cares? As long as they stay at that apartment complex. It has always been contained carefully by the police, and a respectful fun time for those who go...drinking, enjoying the sunshine and just having a good time.
However this year was like the freaking apocalypse of all drunken college parties.
Some genius decided to start a facebook group about Spring Fest and that turned into 4-6 Facebook groups. Suffice to say lots of students from all over the state arrived here on Friday.
Instead of the usual 1000-2000 students it was over 8000-10,000!!!! Crazy right?!
Anyway the crowd got out of hand early Saturday night, around 5:00 pm. Fights were starting and people were throwing beer bottles at one another. Drunken groups of 15-20 people trashed three gas stations/mini-marts along the main street in the town. They broke windows in cars, windows at the apartment complex where this is held, tore down street lamps, started bonfires, burned mattresses and set dumpsters on fire. Well they eventually had to call in all the county police plus 3 police forces from neighboring counties.
But wait...there is more! They had to call in the damn STATE police force and a STATE SWAT team...geezus...
Well it became a battle between police and drunken students. Apparently it was like a battle field. Helicopters flying over, the throwing of tear gas, pepper spray flying, the use of nets, shields, those stick thingys...and rubber bullets.
The students in return threw beer bottles and burning garbage at police.
My town hasn't seen a riot like this since the early 1990s.
After it was all broken up over 65 arrests were made and dozens of students and police officers were taken to the hospital, some with minor injuries, but a few had serious injuries from broken glass and being hit in the head with beer bottles. There was even one stabbing.
So right now I am ashamed to be a student of my university.
Sure only about 1/3 of the students actually went but still we are ALL represented as a student community and university.
Worst of all it was the weekend where accepted students for next year were supposed to come to the university and experience what it was like for a few days with their parents...not a good thing for them to see.
Meanwhile on Saturday I just had brunch with a friend, saw "Clash of the Titans" (AMAZING by the way...) and did some homework. Nothing exciting...and I had no idea all this had gone on until I saw it on freaking CNN!
Thank you for letting me vent!
-Perse <3
First of all every year an apartment complex near the campus holds what they call "Spring Fest." It is a party that lasts from Friday night until Sunday morning. Kind of an end of the semester party before the crunch of finals creeps up in a few weeks.
Anyway usually between 1000-2000 students go and enjoy the festivities. Yes it involves being drunk, but who cares? As long as they stay at that apartment complex. It has always been contained carefully by the police, and a respectful fun time for those who go...drinking, enjoying the sunshine and just having a good time.
However this year was like the freaking apocalypse of all drunken college parties.
Some genius decided to start a facebook group about Spring Fest and that turned into 4-6 Facebook groups. Suffice to say lots of students from all over the state arrived here on Friday.
Instead of the usual 1000-2000 students it was over 8000-10,000!!!! Crazy right?!
Anyway the crowd got out of hand early Saturday night, around 5:00 pm. Fights were starting and people were throwing beer bottles at one another. Drunken groups of 15-20 people trashed three gas stations/mini-marts along the main street in the town. They broke windows in cars, windows at the apartment complex where this is held, tore down street lamps, started bonfires, burned mattresses and set dumpsters on fire. Well they eventually had to call in all the county police plus 3 police forces from neighboring counties.
But wait...there is more! They had to call in the damn STATE police force and a STATE SWAT team...geezus...
Well it became a battle between police and drunken students. Apparently it was like a battle field. Helicopters flying over, the throwing of tear gas, pepper spray flying, the use of nets, shields, those stick thingys...and rubber bullets.
The students in return threw beer bottles and burning garbage at police.
My town hasn't seen a riot like this since the early 1990s.
After it was all broken up over 65 arrests were made and dozens of students and police officers were taken to the hospital, some with minor injuries, but a few had serious injuries from broken glass and being hit in the head with beer bottles. There was even one stabbing.
So right now I am ashamed to be a student of my university.
Sure only about 1/3 of the students actually went but still we are ALL represented as a student community and university.
Worst of all it was the weekend where accepted students for next year were supposed to come to the university and experience what it was like for a few days with their parents...not a good thing for them to see.
Meanwhile on Saturday I just had brunch with a friend, saw "Clash of the Titans" (AMAZING by the way...) and did some homework. Nothing exciting...and I had no idea all this had gone on until I saw it on freaking CNN!
Thank you for letting me vent!
-Perse <3
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