By Julia Mericle
News Editor
During the first weekend on campus, from Thursday to Sunday, six students were arrested by the Village of Allegany Police Department for either possession of alcohol, open container or littering, officials said.
In addition, 26 underage students were involved in three instances of alcohol confiscations and three medical calls were made due to intoxication.
There were also two reports of physical altercations and an unconfirmed report of fireworks being set off, according to Gary Segrue, directory of Safety and Security.
Segrue said a little over half of those involved with incidents of misbehavior this past weekend were freshmen.
George Laraia, freshman sports students major, said he thinks students are trying to make new friends in a party atmosphere.
“I think freshmen are just trying to live the college life they see in movies and TV,” Laraia said.
Segrue said the number of incidents is comparable to a typical opening weekend at St. Bonaventure University, but the number of students involved is higher.
However, Segrue praised the relationship between the Office of Safety and Security and the Allegany Police Department.
“I would expect those officers to set the tone on opening weekend as to what would be expected behavior to safeguard the Allegany community,” Segrue said.
Segrue explained that consequences for these incidents are dependent upon previous violations. First-time alcohol violations involving Safety and Security result in a written warning and an educational sanction through AlcoholEDU. Multiple violations lead to fines starting at $100, points added to room lottery selection numbers, possible counseling and letters home.
Nearly all of the incidents of misbehavior this past weekend involved the consumption of alcohol, Segrue said.
“St. Bonaventure, similar to most universities, will continually attempt to combat the issues of excessive alcohol consumption,” Segrue said. “The Office of Safety and Security is working on a continual basis with Residential Life and other departments under Student Affairs through education to promote good, responsible decisions when it comes to the consumption of alcohol or drugs.”
Despite these issues, Segrue said he felt a positive atmosphere throughout the first weekend and saw several freshmen involved in positive, responsible behavior, such as baking brownies and watching movies and sporting events as a group.
mericlje13@bonaventure.edu
