SempleFest Facebook event deleted

After receiving thousands of RSVPs and one stern warning from police, the creator of a… After receiving thousands of RSVPs and one stern warning from police, the creator of a SempleFest Facebook event removed the post for the annual block party.

A notice for the event, which traditionally occurs the last Friday before finals week and historically produces dozens of open container violations and underage drinking citations, appeared on Facebook earlier this week. Before being removed from Facebook last night, the event had about 2,800 people — most of whom were Pitt students — confirming that they’ll attend.

Yesterday afternoon, city police Commander Kathryn Degler called Dominic Depasquale, the landlord who owns the 324, 326 and 328 Semple St. properties — where the Facebook event said SempleFest would occur. Degler told Depasquale he would be responsible for any violations that occurred on his property, so Depasquale warned his tenants about hosting the event.

Degler said she also spoke to one of the Semple Street residents, but wouldn’t say which one. The resident asked her if they could still have a party. Degler said she told the resident, “Sure, you can have a party, but I’ve been to your house, and it’s not going to fit 3,000 people.” She said she told the tenant that he would have to be 21 if he wanted to serve alcohol.

“I told him that he should do what he thought was best for his future,” Degler said.

The Pitt News received a Facebook message last night from the event’s listed creator — first name: Semple, last name: Fest — saying, “semplefest is not happening at my house. this is crazy.”

Andrew Huang, a Pitt student who lives at 324 Semple St., said later last night that he created the Facebook event for SempleFest by himself. He said he doesn’t consider himself a SempleFest organizer because he didn’t walk up and down the street asking people to participate. Huang said he “just wanted to see what kind of hype was around it,” and that he thinks the Facebook event was “blown out of proportion.”

On his own Facebook wall, Huang wrote “They call me Mr. fest.”

Huang, who said he is older than 21 but declined to give his specific age, said he probably won’t attend SempleFest because he has to work Friday night. He said he included his address as a party location because, “I guess a lot of people wanted to do something to celebrate, so I was just the one who made the group.”

He said he consulted with the people living at 326 Semple St., who could not be reached for comment yesterday, before listing their address.

He said he did not speak directly with the residents of the 328 Semple St. property but instead spoke to one of their friends, who told him they wanted to participate in SempleFest. Huang did not name the friend he spoke to.

Pitt students Jason Ruhl and Dheeren Padhair, who live at 328 Semple St., said they never planned to offer their house for SempleFest and did not initially know that their address was on the Facebook even for the site. Their roommates, John Full and Erik Haupt, did not respond to requests for comment.

Around 6:30 p.m. yesterday, the Facebook event for the party disappeared from public view.

Party pooped

Pitt officials went onto the event’s Facebook page yesterday to warn students about participating in the event.

Shawn Ahearn, director of communications for Student Affairs, posted a picture of a large caution sign on the site warning students to “Celebrate Responsibly” because University and city police would be watching the event, which does not have a permit from the city.

Student Conduct Officer Deborah Walker, who works with the University’s Judicial Board, posted on the site warning its attendees that “University students that are cited by the city and/or University police are subject to sanctions that may include fines, restitution, disciplinary probation and disciplinary suspension.”

City and University officials said the punishments for this year’s SempleFest, should it occur, will be the same as last year — when officials warned students that they could also appear in court if they were caught underage drinking, breaking open container laws or failing to disperse from Semple Street upon police request, among other illegal activities.

Members of the Pitt police, city police, Students Affairs and the University Judicial Board plan to meet throughout the week to monitor plans for the event.

Several officials said they were aware of the Facebook event before Huang deleted it. Pitt spokesman John Fedele said University administrators were consulting with student leaders but said he did not know yesterday afternoon which students they were consulting.

Pitt police Commander Kathy Schreiber said additional police would patrol the area this weekend, but she declined to say how many extra officers would work.

Fedele explained why the University prefers to keep its plans quiet.

“If we say we’re going to place police at this corner, this corner and this corner, somebody will show up at that corner,” he said.

Degler said police are “not going to tolerate” the behavior that occurred at past SempleFests, during which many students drank alcohol and some burned objects in the street.

“I know the college kids think that they own the whole street, but they do not,” Degler said. “They are visitors in our town. There are plenty of people who do not care for drunks screaming and yelling in their backyard.”

Staff Writer Amy Friedenberger contributed to this report.