Strict punishment awaits students who participate in reckless celebration of Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day.

Local law enforcement agencies, along with University representatives, held a joint press conference on Monday to discuss strategies for mitigating the risk associated with the event.

Neither the University nor the cities of Champaign or Urbana encourage the celebration of Unofficial. Rather, these groups have actively worked to manage and discourage the event.

“It’s an event that promotes underage drinking and binge drinking,” said Lt. Jim Clark, of the Champaign Police Department, during the news conference. “Every year, this event accounts for several injuries, and we’ve had fatalities during this event. Many more people have been transported to the hospital for alcohol incapacitation.”

The organizations represented at the conference included the University’s Office of Student Affairs and Division of Public Safety, Community Elements Campus Community Alcohol Task Force Coalition, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, the Champaign and Urbana police departments, Champaign County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police. Together, these organizations will enforce laws regarding underage drinking, private parties, drunk driving and overcrowded balconies. 

This year, a grant that Community Elements received from the Illinois Department of Human Services will help fund more than 100 man hours for Unofficial, said Traci Hayward, project coordinator for the grant and Community Elements representative.

In coalition with local law enforcement agencies, the Champaign Fire Department will conduct balcony inspections and cite tenants that fail to comply with overcrowding regulations. The fire department, along with police, will also look for individuals throwing objects from balconies.

“By the Champaign city ordinance, the tenants are responsible for the conduct of their attendees at the party,” Clark said. “So if there is somebody on their balcony and they are throwing stuff, we will cite the tenants if we don’t identify which person it is.”

To mitigate the chances of breaking the law, officials said hosts should adhere to the following safety tips: Keep parties small, allow only invited guests and ensure that all individuals consuming alcohol are at least 21 years of age. Hosts that violate the law will face state criminal charges rather than a city ordinance violation.

While local law enforcement practices strict zero tolerance laws during Unofficial, extraneous circumstances will affect the assertion of some penalties. For example, individuals should not fear prosecution if dealing with alcohol poisoning or other life-threatening situations. 

“We want people to call 9-1-1 when one of their friends is in danger,” Clark said. “You will not receive a citation from any of the local agencies for calling 9-1-1 for the person who is intoxicated and the Dean’s Office, as long as you stay and cooperate”

In preparation for Unofficial, many of the organizations present at the press conference participated in last week’s Walk as One, an attempt to spread alcohol safety information to the student body. During the walk, student participants knocked on about 4,000 doors on the Champaign side of campus. An additional 20,000 students received the information through their property managers.

To target the largest possible population, law enforcement has also given safety presentations to multiple student groups over the past weeks and, starting Monday, public safety agencies will utilize social media to spread safety information throughout the week.

Still, much of the problem lies outside of the University’s scope.

“I think that over half our arrests last year came from students who were not University of Illinois students,” Clark said. “We relate this to Super Bowl weekend. There are probably more private parties on Super Bowl weekend in this community than we have on Unofficial, yet we don’t have the problems … It’s the individuals that come here from other communities, from out of state, that don’t respect the campus, that have no ties to the campus. They’re the ones that cause the majority of the problems for us.”

The University will not hesitate to contact other schools regarding their students’ actions during Unofficial. While law enforcement and public safety agencies have worked to create the safest possible atmosphere, most of the responsibility lies with the participants. 

“The students need to realize that their conduct on Unofficial is reported to the University,” Clark said. “It can lead to sanctions all the way up to dismissal.”

Chris can be reached at [email protected].