Top party school or not, OU's handling Halloween the same

University safety measures for the annual uptown Halloween party this Saturday will remain the same, according to OU Police Chief Andrew Powers, regardless of OU moving into the top party-school position on the Princeton Review's annual college rankings.

The thinking seems to be that the university and its law enforcement devises their Halloween weekend policies based on experience rather than questionable party-school rankings. And nobody's arguing that OU isn't a party school at some level, as the annual Halloween blowout confirms.

Powers has worked for the OUPD just shy of three years, and before coming to OU he worked at Miami (of Ohio) University for 18 years. Drawing from his experience at Miami, he said that OU is a "typical college campus," and the party-school rankings are based on unscientific measurement.

During his public response to the party-school ranking last August, Kent Smith, vice president for student affairs at OU, reiterated the administration's long-held position that the rankings aren't valid. According to an article posted on the university's Compass news-site, Smith said, "It does not match the data we have collected."

According to the Princeton Review's website, the rankings are based on voluntary student polling from more than 370 colleges across the nation, and not all students participate in the poll.

Mallory Swope, a sophomore studying child and family studies at OU, agreed that the Princeton party-school surveys aren't representative. "I hear more people say that they chose OU because they genuinely like the size and atmosphere of the campus, not because of the partying," she said. "I looked at 10 different colleges, and my reasons for choosing OU were because my family went here, I love the campus, and it's the perfect distance from home. There's more to OU than partying, even if it is ranked the number one party school."

Katlyn Maxwell, junior studying pre-medical sciences at OU, said the party-school ranking may hurt the job prospects of future OU grads, since future employers may hear about it and assume the Bobcat looking for a job participated in all that partying.

However, Swope and Maxwell acknowledged that some OU students promote the ranking, creating a "self-fulfilling prophecy."

"It was and continues to be all over social media, and there were party school T-shirts sold after the ranking was announced," Maxwell said.

Despite those who boast about the party-school ranking, Chief Powers emphasized, "It's about safety; it's not about ranking."

OU will take the same safety measures for Halloween this year, and no new policies have been created to combat alcohol-related offenses.

Swope said she's not too surprised. "I did think the university and OUPD might step it up, but I'm not surprised because the safety measures that have been in place are enough, in my opinion."

Maxwell agreed and said, "I always feel safe on Halloween, plus this isn't the first year OU has been in Princeton (Review's) party-school rankings."

According to the OU Compass website, safety regulations for OU students in the dorms allow only one guest per student, and each guest must be registered online for a fee of $25. All roommates must approve of guests on the MyHousing website before Tuesday, Oct. 25, and both students and guests will be issued colored wristbands. The locks on the dorm building doors will change for the weekend, and students and guests will not be allowed in without their wristbands.

All university staff and OU students can park on campus if valid parking permits are clearly displayed. Any vehicles without visible parking permits will be cited and towed. Off-campus parking is available Halloween weekend at the Athens Fairgrounds for $10. Shuttles will run to and from campus.

Chief Powers encouraged all students to put safety first, and explained that police can arrest individuals exhibiting signs of intoxication regardless of age. "If someone is walking home, alone or not, and they cannot take care of themselves, they may find themselves being taken into custody."

In the past, local police have explained that this policy isn't intended as punitive, but rather as a way to prevent inebriated students from hurting themselves and others, while protecting officers who observe them from civil liability if they ignore the situation and something bad happens.

Also, Powers encouraged students not to hesitate calling the police if someone needs help, regardless if there is underage drinking at the scene. "It depends on the circumstances as to whether or not someone will be charged, but not calling for help when someone is in medical distress for fear of legal consequences is foolish," he said. Powers noted that it's possible for students to expunge their charges in court, but it's not possible to bring back someone's life.

In addition to Halloween's usual safety regulations, WOUB News reported that the city will place portable street lighting, initially used for OU's spring fests, at strategic locations in off-campus neighborhoods. The additional lighting will be at the intersections of College and Mill, and Stewart and Mill streets, according to the report.