The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Matt Lin Complying with police, a student is forced to pour out his beer before entering Carriage House grounds. There were few incidents as hundreds of students flocked to the traditional Thursday night Spring Weekend party spot.

UConn students began Spring Weekend fairly safe this Thursday night, with minimal injuries and few major incidents to report. Walking the well-lit "rape trail" to Carriage House Apartments, most students kept out of the woods, and made their way safely to their off-campus destinations.

There were about ten UConn policemen waiting halfway on the trail with ATVs checking bags for alcohol as students passed by. One freshman, out for her first Spring Weekend, said police stopped her, searched her bag and seized 22 beers.

"It was in my backpack; [the police] stopped me and they dumped out my beer and it made me sad," Brooke Boile, a 2nd-semester business management major, said. "So far I already lost my phone last night, and then I got my beers poured out tonight, so hopefully things will turn around."

This was characteristic of the night - police were keeping students under control with UConn and state police around every turn watching to make sure everyone was being safe.

At the crosswalk between Celeron and Carriage Apartments, Connecticut State police had several trucks and police cars watching students as they entered Carriage. Mansfield Fire officials directed traffic and helped students cross the road safely.

There also was a major triage center manned by the Mansfield Fire Department and the State Department of Public Health, whose command center trailer was positioned right at the entrance to Carriage.

It was there that public safety officials coordinated the many different health and safety workers across the town of Mansfield throughout the night. Workers included paramedics from Windham Hospital, three UConn nursing students, members of the Mansfield Fire Department and EMTs from local volunteer organizations.

As of 8:30 p.m. no students had been checked into the triage center.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools