MADISON, Wis. — Bundled in an orange snowmobiling suit, the bearded sidewalk flutist played a lively rendition of “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” the notes echoing up and down State Street as if to declare that life on this eclectic, student-oriented strip has returned to normal.
Thank the carpenters and plate-glass workers who were called into action after the city’s annual Halloween celebration just off the University of Wisconsin campus turned into a bottle-throwing, glass-breaking, tear gas-wafting riot.
Campus disturbances are hardly new — Wisconsin has a rich history of protest — but college administrators, city officials and police across the nation are grappling with the complex problem of anticipating and controlling street celebrations that often draw tens of thousands of people.
The past two springs, police have had to quell riots near the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, and at least a dozen small fires were reported Saturday after the school’s football team clinched a spot in the national title game. Celebrations also got out of hand after several other college games, including one on the campus of Washington State, where players on the visiting University of Washington team were pelted with debris thrown on the field.
A handful of injuries resulted from the rowdy behavior Saturday. Most of the mayhem — though not all — surrounded goal-post-dismantling parties that often follow big victories.
“I don’t think they have gotten more out of hand, but the number of events has increased, and the potential (for trouble) is greater,” said Sheldon Steinbach, vice president and general counsel for the American Council on Education.
The challenge for universities and law enforcement also is jurisdictional, complicated by the blurring boundaries separating campuses from the communities that surround them.