By Emily Senger
Maybe it was the cold and snowy weather, or the change of venue, or fewer people then usual taking part in drunken revelry. Whatever the reason, the Bermuda Shorts Day festivities on Fri., April 16 ran uncharacteristically smooth, with only one ambulance call and one student hauled away by the police.
“We [Campus Security] were a little worried because it was indoors but it was extremely well organized by the Students’ Union. From our point of view it was one of the best organized BSD events,” said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.
There were only two major incidents which required outside emergency services.
In one incident, a disruptive, intoxicated, male student was intent on fighting. The student was removed from the beer garden but would not leave the university premises. The man was finally convinced by police to take a taxi home at around 2 p.m. The same man returned some time later, ready to seek his drunken revenge. When he would not leave for a second time, the delinquent student was taken to the police station to sober up.
“The student ended up downtown. He would not take no for an answer,” commented Fritz.
An ambulance was also called after one extremely intoxicated female student passed out. Her breathing was shallow which worried security officers and prompted the ambulance call. The student recovered at the hospital. Fritz commented that a sole ambulance call is unheard of on a typical BSD.
Campus Security noticed many students trying to save money in the beer garden by bringing their own liquor to campus.
“There were dozens of incidents where we asked people to pour out their drinks,” said Fritz. All students caught with the contra ban alcohol complied with Campus Security requests to dispose of it.
Fritz partially attributes the smooth flow of BSD to fewer people admitted to the beer gardens. The snowy weather saw the indoor beer garden limited to 3,000 people; the usual outdoor beer garden easily hold twice that many students.
Current SU Vice-President Events Alex Vyskocil was also very pleased with how few security issues occurred during BSD.
“The security was perfect this year,” said a proud Vyskocil. “There were no problems with the police and only one person was brought to the drunk-tank. It seemed like the people who were there were there to have a good time.” Vyskocil also noted that the “concert type security was easier to manage” than the typical outdoor setting.
To ensure all future BSD events run as smoothly as this one, Fritz would like to restrict admission.
“We’d like to see it be an all U of C student event. This would be much more manageable because people have an investment into their school.”
Vyskocil says that non-student admittance at BSD is an issue that will be addressed next April but he was “happy with how we handled non-students this year.”