Report to the Board of Regents on Incidents Following Maryland-Duke Game

Since the bonfires which occurred on campus and in the City of College Park following the Maryland-Duke basketball game on March 31st, the President and University administrators have been working both internally and with several external agencies to assess past problems and to develop procedures for blocking future incidents. The following report is in response to the Board of Regents resolution issued on April 6, 2001.

1. University review and response to incidents
   • The President met with the City Manager, Mr. Richard Conti, on the Monday immediately following the event to share perspectives and convey his regret and apology for damage caused by university citizens. A formal letter of apology (Appendix A) was sent to Mayor Michael Jacobs.

   • University Police cooperated with Prince George's County Police and the State's Attorney General's Office on their investigation of the events on Knox Road. Four students were arrested for their involvement in the fires in the City of College Park. Originally the students were charged with four felonies, but their charges were later reduced to misdemeanors because of insufficient evidence. Additionally, two non-students were arrested for their involvement and charged with misdemeanors. These warrants were served at the end of May, and a court date is pending.

   • A letter from the Vice President for Student Affairs (Appendix B) was sent to all faculty, staff, students and parents framing the issues, decrying the behavior, outlining police and judicial sanctions, and calling upon them to have serious discussions about the importance of civility and good citizenship. This correspondence engendered constructive dialogue in classroom settings as well as in other public forums. The Vice President also received positive feedback from parents and students about the tone and content of the letter.

   • Senior administrators held multiple formal and informal meetings with student leaders and other interested students to discuss the issues. The dialogue focused on sensitizing the students to our concerns about civility and safety and to solicit their ideas for ways we can celebrate in constructive ways. The student feedback centered on student-generated, spirited, inclusive, celebratory events.

   • Students developed a petition admonishing student behavior following the basketball game and collected over 1000 student signatures supporting the position of intolerance of inappropriate behavior.

   • The President, the Chief of Police, and the Vice Presidents for Administrative Affairs and Student Affairs, along with the Superintendents of the State Police and the College Park Fire Department, and the Chief of the Prince George's County Police, met with Senator Hoyer, the State Delegates from the 21st District, and the City Council to discuss the incident and to hear from residents of the City of College Park. In addition, the President and the Vice Presidents for Administrative Affairs and Student Affairs met with the citizens of Old Town College Park, Councilman Hendershot, Senator Dorman, and Delegate Menes to discuss student behavior in the Old Town community and the University's proactive initiatives to prevent future disturbances, and especially late night noise disturbances.

   • The Vice President for Student Affairs and the Chief of Police have made contacts with their counterparts at Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University, as well as other institutions who have experienced more destructive disturbances to explore post-game management strategies.

2. Status of disciplinary cases arising out of these incidents
   • Because the University Student Code of Conduct has jurisdiction over off-campus felonious offenses, and the charges by Prince George's County Police against the students involved are misdemeanors, no violation of the Code of Conduct has occurred and no disciplinary cases were filed for the off-campus incidents.

   • In another incident occurring immediately preceding the final four disturbances, two students carried their couch to the field in front of fraternity row, intending to start a fire. Because the students did not start a fire, the panel recommended no sanction be imposed. The Director of Judicial Programs issued administrative reprimands to both students. The students apologized for their behavior and were cooperative throughout the proceedings.

3. Results of the analysis of the University's policies and practices with respect to such incidents
   • The University Police and Prince George's County Police have been meeting regularly to plan how they will work together and react to disturbances. This enhanced inter-agency police relationship appears to be working well. A Memorandum of Understanding has been prepared by the University Police and is currently being reviewed by the Prince George's County Police. It is expected to be approved by both agencies this summer.

   • The University Police and Prince George's County Police are negotiating a limited expansion of the current Concurrent Jurisdiction Agreement to include locations in Old Town College Park that are primarily student residences. The inclusion of these student residences will provide enhanced resources to the City of College Park and improve the coordination of police services offered by the University Police and Prince George's County Police. The University Senate is also currently examining proposals to extend the jurisdiction of the Code of Student Conduct that currently addresses behavior on campus.

   • This summer, the University Police and Prince George's County Police will undertake cooperative training in conjunction with the College Park Fire Department to prepare for future large scale events.

   • The University's Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief of Police will hold a widely publicized meeting this Fall with students who live in the vicinity adjacent to the campus to educate them regarding their rights and responsibilities, the University's expectations, and the roles University staff, the University Police and the Prince George's County Police will assume in future situations.

   • The President has appointed a Committee on Sportsmanship to study the issues of civility and fan behavior. The task force is chaired by Professor Charles Wellford and includes faculty, staff, students, coaches, alumni and a College Park City representative. The group is scheduled to begin meeting this summer and to report back to President Mote by the end of October.

   • Early in the Fall semester, the City Council plans to schedule a barbeque to introduce student College Park residents to the permanent residents in an effort to build communication and common understanding between those city residents. The campus administration, through the Vice President for Student Affairs, will also participate.

4. Amendments to University policies adopted as a result of these incidents
   • A decision regarding the expansion of the jurisdiction of the Code of Student Conduct to include off-campus misdemeanors has been approved by the University Senate Committee on Student Conduct and will be considered by the full University Senate in the Fall.

5. Recommendations for Board action to assist the University in preventing or responding to future incidents
   • The University requests that the Board continue to support the actions and decisions of the University administration in the case of these incidents and any future incidents leading to serious bodily harm and property losses.