Archived Edition: May 04, 2004 | Back to Current	Sep 09, 2010

Homecoming plans still under review
Drew Thompson - FORMER EDITOR

It has been almost six months since last fall’s Homecoming football game, where College and Town officials were concerned with the sheer volume of underage drinking and the violent, disorderly behavior that ensued. Williamstown Chief of Police Arthur Parker was quoted in an earlier Record article (“Lewd behavior triggers changes in tailgating policy,” Nov. 18) as saying Homecoming had degenerated into a “drinking event with a football game.”

Administrators and Trustees were appalled by the behavior that went on at an event that draws large crowds of both alumni and students. “Too often, Amherst fans and players have the experience of Williams fans screaming wholly inappropriate things at them,” Dean Roseman said. “Any semblance of good sportsmanship is lost.”

Concerned with the public safety risk such an event poses to the Williamstown community, Parker submitted a letter to the Town and College outlining several changes the police department would like to see implemented for the upcoming 2004-05 Homecoming festivities, including the distribution of alcohol from a licensed vendor in lieu of students bringing alcohol to the event. Parker believes such an act will not only minimize if not totally eliminate the amount of underage drinking, but will also prevent beer cans and glasses from being thrown around. At last year’s event, according to the Williamstown Police Department (WPD), an officer was hit with a beer can.

In his letter, Parker said that the College must acknowledge the legal restrictions that prevent Security from ensuring compliance with certain state laws. He said that he and his department would like “the College’s recognition of Williams Security’s limited ability to command compliance for rules and regulations not amounting to criminal violations.”

Immediately following the event, the College banned U-Hauls, RVs and buses from entering the field’s grounds. Additionally, at the start of this calendar year, the College, under the auspices of Jean Thorndike, director of Campus Safety, created the Tailgating Committee, composed of students representing the Junior Advisors (JAs), the Housing Coordinators (HCs), the Captains Council and the Security Office’s student advisory committee and administrators, including Thorndike, Dave Boyer, associate director of Security, Jim Kolesar, director of Public Affairs, Steve Birrell, vice-president for alumni relations and development, Harry Sheehy, director of athletics, and Dave Johnson, assistant dean.

For the past few months, the committee has been juggling with a few ideas that would change the configuration and “feeling” of Homecoming, specifically limiting the number of cars and placing them in marked spots in addition to allowing cars to enter the gates of Weston Field closer to the start of the game. One of the major changes the committee is dealing with is whether or not to have a third-party distribute alcohol. The goal appears to be to get people to drink less and watch more of the game.

Another issue facing the College is the close proximity of the football field to the tailgating area. Often, players are forced to walk through the hoards of people tailgating and be subjected to heckling.

“Ideas [are] not concrete, but being floated,” Kolesar said. “There are a lot of things we have not decided. There are no clear places where Chief Parker and the College disagree.”

Committee members have said that their options are limited because of Massachusetts state law. According to Chapter 138: Section 34 of the General Laws of Massachusetts, dealing with the sale or “furnishing” of alcohol to minors, “‘Furnish’ shall mean to knowingly or intentionally supply, give or provide to or allow a person under 21 years of age except for the children and grandchildren of the person being charged to possess alcoholic beverages on premises or property owned or controlled by the person charged.” Essentially, the College and its administrators can be held liable for any underage drinking that occurs during such events.

“In a lot of ways the committee’s hands are tied,” said Nicole Decesare ’05, who represents the JAs on the committee. “Chief Parker won’t accept much short of a lot of changes.”

Thorndike emphasized that the issues surrounding tailgating deal with two things: First, the amount of alcohol that has been entering the gates in the past and second, underage drinking.

“The College has to comply with Massachusetts state law,” she said. She also noted that “students under 21 do not have a right to drink.” Thorndike was quick to say that the College’s position is limited because of the laws already set in place. One committee member added, “No one is above the law.”

The College has been in discussion with its attorney Don Dubendorf ’75. There has been discussion over whether or not the WPD has the authority to enter private property, and the difference between a private and public right of way. Kolesar quelled such debate by saying the WPD has the authority to enter a space where they believe illegal acts are taking place even if it is private property.

The committee has met inconsistently over the past five months because of difficultly coordinating the various schedules of committee members, especially the students. Boyer said this has in no way compromised the committee’s effectiveness. He said despite the fact that students have not been present at every meeting, their concerns are still being heard. He said students do not need to be at every meeting and that they have shown up to the most important ones, specifically the ones dealing with policy issues.

Decesare said that students are trying to keep as much of the old Homecoming possible so long as it makes the Town, police and College happy. She said that the committee’s students do not want to change the event, but that in many ways it is too late because Chief Parker “knows what he wants” and that students’ voices “were being heard to the extent that [they] can be.”

The committee hopes to produce a preliminary proposal and present it to College’s Senior Staff and Chief Parker before the end of the spring semester.

“As of now the committee does not have a proposal drafted because we’ve been dealing with the issue of whether the WPD is even willing to accept the proposal,” said Kacey Houston ’05, student HC representative. “[Chief Parker] wants to ban the admission of alcohol to the Homecoming tailgate, and if necessary all Town sporting events, and has expressed no desire to compromise on that point. His plan would allow alcohol to be sold on site, but that would no doubt irritate both students and alumni. The committee is hoping that we won’t need to take such drastic action, and we’re looking to come up with a more moderate plan that minimizes opportunities for destructive behavior but still retains the spirits of Homecomings past.”

The committee believes this is the perfect year to implement some changes as this year’s Homecoming game is against Wesleyan and not Amherst. They see next year as a trial period. Kolesar said he also hoped that the committee would announce its recommendations by the end of spring, but that it did not look like there was much time left to do so.

He said those “deeply invested” in last year’s festivities “will be unhappy with next year.” He added that some people are going to see the event as being more restrictive. Peter Desloge ’06, student representative from the Security Office’s advisory board said, “[Next year’s] changes are going to affect the entire student body.” The student body will have to wait and see how these decisions will play themselves out.