Amherst, UMass police preparing for Super Bowl Sunday
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Two weeks of hype leading up to the Super Bowl, which this year includes talk of revenge for the New England Patriots against the New York Giants team that kept them from an undefeated season four years ago, helps to fuel interest in the championship game.
But public safety and University of Massachusetts officials are keeping their fingers crossed that it doesn't also arouse passions that could cause out-of-control celebrations.
"We're hoping the Patriots win and that people celebrate in a nonviolent, nondestructive way," said Amherst Police Capt. Chris Pronovost.
A plan, including beefed up patrols and increased campus lighting, is being put together this week to ensure that students can enjoy the game trouble-free.
UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski said past experience shows the large majority of students behave appropriately following most big games.
"The thing we want to emphasize here is we've had very few problems in recent years with sporting events," Blaguszewski said. "Students have been well behaved. We're encouraging people to maintain that good record."
Track record
Pronovost and Capt. Jennifer Gundersen reviewed data from each Super Bowl night over the last decade, which includes the first Super Bowl victory for the Patriots in 2002. While they noted an increase from the typical police activity for a Sunday night, there were usually fewer problems off campus than on most weekend nights.
Seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl four times in recent years has given the police department confidence that things will go smoothly, said Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone.
"We'll be in good shape," he said. "Typically we've not had a big spike in calls and arrests."
In 2004 after the Super Bowl, police found a large crowd at the corner of North Pleasant Street and Hobart Lane setting off fireworks, screaming and creating a bonfire with a Christmas tree. Two additional large bonfires were made at Townehouse Apartments on Meadow Street.
But none of the postgame activity, including in 2008 when the Patriots lost to the Giants, has risen to the level of the on-campus riots that took place Dec. 15, 2006, the night of the Minutemen's 28-17 loss to Appalachian State in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title game. An estimated 1,800 to 2,000 people rioted in the Southwest residential area, resulting in more than $100,000 in damage to university property.
Game plan
Still, police are increasing patrols, especially on Hobart Lane and Meadow Street.
"We have hired additional officers to work and will have our midnight shift in early," Pronovost said.
Livingstone said staffing will be short of what is used on some fall and spring nights when the weather is warmer.
"We'll be staffing extra, but not to the degree of Hobart Hoedown weekend," Livingstone said. "Our concern will be not to have any large parties or major gatherings."
In fact, he expects that if problems do occur they could be confined to the Southwest portion of the campus.
Jarred Rose, speaker for the Student Government Association at UMass, said students appreciate that law enforcement will be increasing its presence on and around campus to deal with those who get out of line.
But Rose said he would like to see police exercise the discretion they used last May when more than 2,000 students gathered in Southwest to mark the death of Osama bin Laden. They were allowed to continue chanting and celebrating so long as didn't become destructive, he said.
"We're hoping it's more of a collaboration," Rose said. "We understand people might be upset or might be happy, but we think they can allow a certain level of chaos without it being too much."
SGA president Yevin Roh sent an email to the student body asking that they have fun Sunday but that they also be responsible.
Other student leaders also support the increase in public safety personnel.
"I think it's a good call," said Claire Hopkins, a student senator.
"It's a necessary thing to do if UMass is going to move away from its reputation as ZooMass," said Greg MacDonough, a student senator.
UMass Deputy Police Chief Patrick Archbald said he has been meeting with all departments on campus and he will have many officers on call.
"We talk about operations readiness for all departments to make sure we do everything we can to make it a safe event," Archbald said. "We're optimistic the students will be responsible and mature."
Blaguszewski said lights will be used to illuminate the Southwest area and an outdoor warning system will send messages if crowd control is necessary. That system was first used during the gatherings to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.
The Amherst Fire Department and its ambulances are also part of the planning, said Fire Chief Tim Nelson.
"We're not anticipating anything going nuts or going crazy, but we want to be ready if the call volume does increase," Nelson said.
Nelson said the department's resources are stretched most weekends, so additional staffing is a priority for keeping people safe.
"If it turns out to be a busy night, it wouldn't take much more activity to push us over the edge," he said. "We need to have an operational plan in place."
Nelson said that during the game itself, which begins around 6:30 p.m. and will likely go until 10 p.m., there should be few problems. "Most folks will be in to watch the game," Nelson said. "Our concern is afterward."
Blaguszewski said most students will likely watch the game in their rooms, but there will also be opportunities elsewhere on campus to view it.
The University Programming Council and Student Activities is offering pizza, wings and more at the Cape Cod Lounge in the Student Union from 6:30 to 11 p.m., while the various dining commons and The Blue Wall, with their large-screen televisions, will also have the game on.
Unknown factors
Weather and the game's outcome are likely to affect the activity level, both safety officials and students say.
For instance, last weekend, the first with college students back from semester break, was mild. Ambulances transported 11 intoxicated individuals to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, including eight from the UMass campus.
These transports also included off-campus incidents in which a man suffered a cut to his forehead after falling outside a downtown bar and a woman who fell face first to the ground and chipped one of her front teeth.
Rose said he expects the reaction of students, with a solid contingent of Giants fans among the majority Pats supporters, could also depend on whether it is a close game or a blowout.
UMass began planning for possible student behavior problems as the National Football League playoffs began, sending an email to students and their parents about safe celebrations from Jean Kim, vice chancellor of student affairs and campus life.
That email provided links to the university's responsible fan behavior rules and municipal bylaws related to alcohol possession.
"It's a set of resources we've drawn on and revised and shared with people over a number of years," Blaguszewski said.
A second email from Kim sent this week stated: "The safety of our students is always our top priority. If crowds do congregate before, during or after a game, the police will monitor the gathering to ensure the safety of everyone."
Kim's email also references the university's own connections to the game. "Please enjoy the game in a manner that reflects well on this great university, and celebrates the achievements of Victor Cruz, James Ihedigbo and all our alums: past, present and especially future."
Archbald said police assisted in putting up posters in residence halls and table tents on dining room tables about the Super Bowl.
"We just hope everyone will enjoy the game and celebrate responsibly afterward, win or lose."
