Property damage and theft were widespread the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day as more than 6,000 people filled the streets near Cal Poly to celebrate the holiday.
“I think all of us are deeply disturbed and troubled by the events that happened this weekend, both on campus and off campus,” SLO City Manager Derek Johnson said during a March 19 SLO City Council meeting.
The SLO Police Department said that it began receiving disturbance calls as early as 3:30 a.m. on March 16, as 6,000 to 7,000 Cal Poly students and community members took to the streets that morning to party.
“Our police presence was tripled this year as opposed to last year, and we had assistance from both Cal Poly and California State University crew teams, California Men’s Colony, and the California Alcohol and Beverage Control,” SLO City Police Chief Rick Scott said during the meeting. “I also want to give a special thanks to the SLO City Fire Department who did a tremendous job in answering at least 25 calls for service in a very compressed time for emergency calls related to alcohol.”
As the number of calls escalated, SLOPD issued citations for noise violations, unruly gatherings, open container violations, public urination, and public intoxication, according to a March 16 press release.
“The citations issued for noise, unruly gatherings, open container, and public urination all start at $700,” Police Public Affairs Manager Christine Wallace told New Times. “Because folks can appeal these citations, I won’t know until April who has appealed and who hasn’t. If folks don’t appeal, they’ll owe the fine amount, and if they’ve appealed, the appeal hearings will be scheduled for the near future.”
In all, SLOPD issued at least 156 citations and arrested at least 12 individuals.
Following the enforcement crackdown, Cal Poly issued a letter to the campus and community regarding students who were involved in the St. Patrick’s Day activities.
According to a March 16 letter from President Armstrong, Muir Hall, a freshman dorm building, faced damages so severe that university officials temporarily closed the building and evacuated around 300 student residents to repair and restore fire suppression and alarm systems.
University personnel also had to clean up destruction and debris from smashed ceiling tiles and marred floors and provide deep cleaning and air quality restoration throughout the building.
“These selfish and harmful actions are unacceptable for individuals who have been granted the privilege to study, live, and work in the Cal Poly community,” Armstrong said in the letter. “It is confounding and deeply disturbing that a portion of our own students so ignorantly and callously destroyed parts of our campus—including the very places they and so many other students live.”
Armstrong said Trinity and Fremont halls were also damaged, and widespread theft occurred from campus dining facilities and markets.
“We expect our students to have fun on our campus and in our local community as part of their time at Cal Poly—this is a key element of the growth, development, and self-discovery within the university experience,” he said. “However, that does not include behavior that is destructive to property, potentially criminal in nature, or harmful to one’s self [sic] or fellow community members.”
Cal Poly is looking for help from the community to hold its students accountable, asking those with photos or videos to report them to the Dean of Students Office or to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities online.
“To the extent possible, Cal Poly will hold our own students and other individuals accountable for these actions,” Armstrong said. “Our Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities will act swiftly on any reports it receives of Cal Poly students whose behavior violated our university policies. Likewise, any reports of criminal activity—by our own students or by any campus visitor—shared with our Cal Poly Police Department will be fully investigated and individuals will be held accountable.” Δ
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2024.
Since I was born and raised in Chicago and studied for five years to become a Catholic priest in its archdiocese, I felt I needed to clarify a few things in light of the Fratty’s Day reporting and disturbances.
St. Patrick’s Day is neither an “annual holiday” in the U.S. nor a holy day in the Catholic church in America. It’s become just a permission slip to get drunk.
Years ago when I was driving down Higuera taking my youngest to school, I witnessed something disgusting. At 8 am in the morning college kids were going back and forth between two taverns…and several were vomiting in the street. Of course, it was St. Patrick’s Day, and bars were open to “celebrate.” Now it has evolved into a destructive mob aided by out of towners.
I don’t know what the answer is, but it sure begins with either a curfew at the campus, closing bars when kids are headed to school at 8am in the morning, or expulsion when students are open-drinking in public.
I don’t believe that this is what President Armstrong means when he talks about “learning by doing.” Maybe it needs to be changed to “learning by growing up.” The university needs to “learn from what’s BEEN happening” and work with the city in taking some proactive action before next year’s disgrace happens…again.
Sincerely,
Tim Bennett
San Luis Obispo, CA
Hi Tim,
Your idea of expulsion when students are open-drinking in public would do it!! Cal Poly’s President would simply need to send out a referendum to all students on March 10 every year about this policy. If he did that I think the madness would slowly slip away into a memory of obnoxious, irresponsible days gone by. And technically, Armstrong probably has the authority to lay down this mandate.
Hopefully those responsible for damage will be arrested, expelled, convicted and forced to pay reparations. That said, 12 arrests is tiny compared to the size of the student population, so let’s put this in perspective.
Is there any evidence that the dorms were damaged by students celebrating St Fratty’s Day? I can’t help but wonder if the damage to the dorms were a separate issue unrelated to St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The photos shown by the press were of ceiling tiles and paper towels on the floor in a dorm hallway. No sign of green glitter or beads. No empty beer cups or bottles. Come on, college students aren’t that meticulous. I would have to say that their was no clear evidence that St Patrick’s or St Fratty’s had any connection to damage done to the dorms, other than that it occurred on the same day .