2005: Destruction Serves as Warning for Hoedown - 4/27/2005
Destruction serves as warning for Hoedown
By:
Posted: 4/27/05
With spring approaching, campus-wide acts of senseless violence also begin to sprout. Between fires and armed robbery recently occurring on this campus, University of Massachusetts students can no longer feel safe in or outside their dormitories. Behaviors such as these cannot go unnoticed, nor can they go without punishment, and rightly so.
The first fire that occurred took place on campus in the Orchard Hill Residential Area. Two garbage cans were set on fire in a student lounge, causing Grayson Hall to be evacuated at midnight. The inconvenience of the situation to all of Grayson's residents is of the least concern in the matter. It is behavior like this that only proves to the administration that it is more than necessary for the UMass Police Department to posses and use TASERs on students.
The second fire happened in a garage behind a house owned by Alpha Tau Gamma, a fraternal organization for students of the UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture. The fire started at 2 a.m. and there were no reported injuries, including the fire at Grayson. The amounts of damage caused in both situations resulted to over a combined $12,000 in repairs and were both deemed to be intentionally set. If the intention was to make the Amherst Fire Department work for their money, it wasn't well received.
In addition to the fire, there was an armed robbery that took place in Van Meter dormitory early Sunday morning. A handgun was involved in the scenario and the whole incident was caught on videotape. Short of bag searches upon entry and random room sweeps, there is no sensible way for an event like that to be prevented. Bag and room searches were things that have been brought up in the past by members of the administration as ways to keep problems like this from happening, but were met with great opposition.
Chancellor Lombardi has an obligation to all the students that attend this University to make the campus and the environment as safe as possible. Students are paying hard-earned dollars to try and achieve an education in a safe atmosphere. His suggestions may have seen extreme when first mentioned, but with armed robbery and active fires taking place in campus dormitories, what other choices is the administration left with?
The use of TASERs is certainly a scary thought that will soon become a scary reality next semester. However, the recent incidents that have occurred on campus prove the administration's points in purchasing them. This also fairs as a warning to all students planning to participate in the upcoming relocated Hobart Hoedown planned for Saturday night on Main Street. Though the location of the event is rumored to have changed, there is nothing to suggest the nature of the party won't change from the last two years.
Senseless destruction and violence should not be what makes a party fun, nor should it be what attracts masses of people. The stupidity of the recent destructive events on campus should be a red-hot warning to the campus community to have a good time, but to remain civilized and safe.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.
© Copyright 2007 The Daily Collegian
