Despite college basketball’s history of violent student riots, Georgetown students managed to celebrate the Hoya’s NCAA Tournament wins this past weekend peacefully and responsibly.
Few remember the last moments of Maryland’s 78-75 overtime win over Duke in last year’s women’s NCAA Tournament, but they might recall the arrest of 18 students at the University of Maryland in College Park during the fiery post-game celebrations. And a few years earlier, in 2003, six Michigan State students were arrested for disorderly conduct when their team lost 85-76 to Texas in the NCAA South Regional Final.
“Georgetown students really demonstrated that they know the right way of celebrating,” Dave Morrell, Vice President of University Safety, said.
Though students’ celebrations after Sunday’s game held up traffic along M Street, drew Secret Service officers onto the White House lawn, and prompted a “hell no, we won’t go” chant from the students, there were no repercussions from the authorities for the so-called “March to the White House,” when students ran from Georgetown to the White House to celebrate the victory over UNC.
Hoya Blue member Matt Kamenski (COL ’07) believes that it is possible to support the Hoyas without resorting to destruction.
“We’re all in support of enthusiasm and celebration in a lot of different forms, but you don’t need to destroy the campus and neighborhood that you love in order to show school spirit,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Darryl Harrison, the Director of the Department of Public Safety, wrote in an e-mail that their were a few minor incidents related to Sunday’s game, but he said that DPS and MPD were both impressed by the overall student conduct.
“MPD has commended our students on the way, for the most part, that they conducted themselves last weekend,” he said.
Georgetown has been working closely with MPD to ensure student safety, according to Harrison. For the last two rounds of the Tournament this weekend, the University will increase both the number of DPS officers on duty and the number of contracted security guards.
“We want to send a message to people who are not part of the community coming up here,” Morrell said. “They will see a blue wall and know that we are serious about security.”
Students, though, have mixed opinions on the security increase.
Kamenski wrote that he believes the security will be necessary to keep enthusiastic fans under control. But Marisa Siano (MSB ’10) isn’t so sure that the increased security is positive.
“If it were up to me, I would just let everyone run wild, but I understand what they are doing because of all the traffic jams and people jumping on cars,” she said.
Joe Combs (COL ’10) believes that “the crazies will riot regardless of security,” though he declined to say whether or not he would be among them.
The fact that this is the first GAAP weekend for the prospective students in the class of 2011 did not factor into the decision to increase security.
“Whether you are a current student or a prospective student or an accepted student, it is important to see that we are serious about safety and security,” said Morrell.
