The number of large parties on and near the University campus has substantially decreased over the past few weeks, according to the University Police.

The party decrease comes as the Division of Public Safety has been enforcing public health rules and students have been cooperating, the UIPD news release said.

Since the start of the semester, police reports of complaints for loud noise or large parties have dropped by 61%. During the first week of school, there were a total of 114 reports of complaints; during the most recent week, Sept. 14 through Sunday, there were a total of 44 calls.

Of the 44 from last week, 23 parties were in compliance with public health regulations meaning the gatherings had fewer than 10 guests maintaining social distancing.

From Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, there were 74 reports and from Sept. 7 through Sept. 13, there were 48 reports.

Other students have been fined for hosting parties. Two University students have been issued three citations each related to parties hosted on Aug. 28. Charges include a $750 fine for endangering public health, a $350 fine for hosting a nuisance party and a $255 fine for reckless conduct, adding up to $1,355 in total fines for each host.

The news release stated that police and the Office for Student Conflict Resolution have been working together in cases where academic discipline is warranted. More recently, there’s been more widespread compliance from the University and C-U community as they have taken health guidelines more seriously.

The stricter lockdown conditions the University put in place for two weeks have also seemed to reverse the rapidly increasing positivity rate on campus the first couple of weeks of the semester.

“This is what we want to see. We are glad to see that, in the vast majority of cases, students are voluntarily complying and cooperating,” said Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Alice Cary in the news release. “We do not want to issue citations and fines to our students, and we do not enjoy being the party police. But the safety and the health of our community is our foremost priority, and right now, the global situation demands that we take this approach.”

Collective action is more important now than ever before to public safety and well-being, Cary added in the news release.

“It is inspiring to see the collaboration between our students, staff, faculty and administrators in keeping the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum, and I am proud to be a part of this community effort,” she said.

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