Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Campus, cities ready for ‘Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day’ on March 2

Campus, cities ready for ‘Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day’ on March 2

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor 217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Who to call … for problems related to ‘Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day’

  • To report emergencies, call METCAD: 9-1-1 (or 9-911 from a campus phone).
  • To request non-emergency assistance from UI Police: 333-1216.
  • To report disruptive students who were dismissed from class, call the Office of Student Conflict Resolution: 333-3680.
  • The Student Code is available at www.admin.uiuc.edu/policy/code/. Sections 1-102(d) and 1-302(f) explain policies on classroom conduct expectations, and Section 1-307 discusses policies on alcohol consumption.

University officials are joining forces with Champaign Police and Champaign city officials to help keep a lid on this year’s Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day celebration, a drinking holiday promoted by some local bars that resulted in the death of a UI alumnus and in significant property damage in the Lincoln Hall theater and Foellinger Auditorium in 2006. While “Unofficial” is not an event condoned or supported by the university, university officials have chosen to take steps to ensure the safety of people who choose to participate, to prevent damage to university property and to prevent disruptions to campus operations and academic instruction. UI and Champaign police plan to increase patrols around campus buildings and in Campustown on March 2, the day of this year’s event. UI police will focus on safeguarding people and property. This year, Champaign police will have expanded authority to shut down parties on private property that escalate into public nuisances, as a result of a new ordinance passed by the Champaign City Council on Feb. 20. The City Council also expanded Mayor Jerry Schweighart’s emergency order powers as liquor commissioner, giving him authority to prohibit all Champaign bars from selling kegs for 48 hours, March 1-2, and prohibiting bars from selling shots, measures aimed at curbing over-consumption. Additionally, bars will be required to have employees who are at least 21 years old at the entrances checking patrons’ IDs. Emergency medical personnel will be ready to provide care as required in the event participants consume too much alcohol or are injured during the event. Because of the vandalism that occurred during the 2006 celebration, campus officials plan to enforce a standing policy that prohibits students from bringing food and beverages into Lincoln Hall Theater and Foellinger Auditorium. Students entering those venues will be asked to dispose of liquids prior to entry. Faculty and staff members were reminded of campus policies on student conduct and alcohol consumption and were advised how to deal with disruptive students in their classes in e-mail messages from the deans of the colleges that enroll undergraduates and from the offices of the provost and the vice chancellor for student affairs. Under the Student Code, instructors are empowered to request that disruptive students leave class and to report the names of dismissed students to the Office of Student Conflict Resolution afterward. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 2, teams of staff members from Student Affairs and Academic Affairs will be walking through areas where disturbances occurred last year, and will be available to assist instructors with problems. The roaming team members will be identifiable as university officials and will be wearing their university IDs as name tags. If it appears that asking a student to leave class could provoke a confrontation, instructors are advised to avoid confronting the disruptive person and seek assistance from roaming staff members. The roaming staff members will document apparent Student Code violations and call University Police for help if necessary. If emergencies arise, however, instructors and students are encouraged to call METCAD at 911, or, from a campus phone, at 9-911. Educational advertisements and messages aimed at students stressed that people who interfere with the university’s academic mission could face serious consequences. “The increased measures that the campus is taking this year focus on preventing the disruption of classes,” said Robin Kaler, associate chancellor for public affairs. “Our goal is to ensure that students who choose to participate in this event don’t cause problems for the majority of students who attend classes Friday.”

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