Rioting not just a Pitt thing

‘ ‘ ‘ Last Sunday’s Super Bowl riots were bad, but they were by no means an isolated incident…. ‘ ‘ ‘ Last Sunday’s Super Bowl riots were bad, but they were by no means an isolated incident. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ In March 2005, students at West Virginia University celebrated a men’s basketball team victory en masse by overturning and setting fire to a car several blocks off campus, in addition to setting about 30 to 50 fires that included a street lamp, several Dumpsters and, as per tradition, couches, according to the West Virginia student newspaper, The Athenaeum. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Eleven students were eventually expelled for their involvement in the riot. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Two years earlier, seven students were expelled when student celebrants set more than 100 fires, The Athenaeum reported. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ West Virginia University, located 80 miles south of Pittsburgh in the city of Morgantown, has nearly 30,000 undergraduate students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ West Virginia has an intense sports culture and, as The Athenaeum noted, ‘Celebratory couch-burning has made post-victory Morgantown famous.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ In the early 2000s, Morgantown had more street fires per capita than any other city or town in the nation, said Melony Cook, assistant dean of student affairs at West Virginia. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ And most, if not all, of these fires were related to students celebrating a sports victory. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Since 2005, several students have been disciplined and many arrested in connection with some form of rioting, but none have been expelled, and nothing has rivaled the car-burning incident, said Cook. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Last October, tens of thousands of Penn State students flooded State College streets after a historic win in football against Ohio State. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Students tore down two lampposts and two parking meters, damaged several cars and attempted to set fires, according to the Penn State student newspaper, The Daily Collegian. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Collegian reported that student celebrants caused more than $10,000 in damage on campus and in town and were met with pepper spray from police in riot gear. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Twenty-one people, most of them Penn State students, were eventually arrested and charged in connection with the riot. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Daily Collegian has not reported on any disciplinary action taken against students by the school, and administrators from the university’s judicial affairs office declined to comment for this article. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Phillies won the 2008 World Series for the first time in 28 years, which was as big a deal for the city’s fans ‘mdash; including tens of thousands of college students ‘mdash; as was the Steeler’s sixth Super Bowl win last month. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the damage from the riotous celebration was noticeable. But by Philadelphia standards, it wasn’t severe. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It ‘was marred by drunken vandalism and looting that left behind broken bus shelters, overturned cars and shattered windows,’ but ‘officials said that the revelry could have been much uglier.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Seventy-six people, a majority of them college students, were arrested, mostly for misdemeanors such as disorderly conduct or vandalism,’ reported the Inquirer. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The Temple News, Temple University’s student newspaper, reported no student arrests or campus damage after the World Series. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ There was no campus damage at the University of Pennsylvania, nor were any students arrested, wrote Juliette Mullin, executive editor of the university’s student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, in an e-mail. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Detective Agoi Ombima from the Temple police said the celebrants from around the city flocked to City Hall, in the center of Philadelphia, after the game and then headed toward the Phillies stadium. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ 15,000 Temple students’ rushed to the center of campus and headed north on Broad street ‘mdash; the Philadelphia equivalent of both Forbes and Fifth avenues ‘mdash; to join the riot a mile away in Center City, said Ombima. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The World Series rioting occurred nowhere near Temple’s campus, though it certainly included students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ As the Inquirer mentioned, the majority of those arrested were students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But since the rioting took place far off the campuses of Philadelphia colleges ‘mdash; also including Drexel University, West Chester University and more ‘mdash; students who partied destructively or were arrested faced no repercussions from their schools. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But Pitt rioters didn’t head Downtown and then across the rivers to Heinz field after the Super Bowl. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ And West Virginia and Penn State students, in their most recent rioting, stayed close to campus, too. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ More than 60 people were arrested in Oakland during the post-Superbowl riot, but’ it’s not yet clear how many were Pitt students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ So far, two Pitt students have been suspended in connection with the riot and 18 others are ‘at various stages of having accepted sanctions, challenged sanctions or have to respond to requests to appear’ in front on the University Judicial Board, said Robert Hill, vice chancellor of public affairs. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ He declined to say how many students were arrested in connection with the riot and referred The Pitt News to city police for questions about arrests. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pittsburgh police could not immediately comment.