Take a few hundred college students, throw in some alcohol, loud music and the police, and there’s potential for a riot, according to student accounts gleaned from recent University research.
The University joined 11 schools in a 2003 national study exploring why off-campus parties occasionally turn violent. The project, which concluded Sept. 9, was the first of its kind in the nation and represented a step toward determining why the University and other participating schools have been subject to riots, said Sheryl Eyster, assistant dean and associate director of student life.
The West University neighborhood has seen 11 riots since 1988, three of which occurred between 2002 and 2003 after three years without riot activity, according to University Director and Associate Dean of Student Life Laura Blake Jones. Partygoers spilled onto streets, and, in some instances, uprooted street signs, burned a golf cart and hurled rocks and bottles that injured police officers, according to police reports and Emerald archives. On the tail of a five-year increase in parties that sparked violence, University students blamed a dangerous combination of booze and negative perceptions of police tactics for fueling violence.
The research summary also produced a definition of what constitutes a typical party. It included three ingredients: “boys, girls and alcohol.”
Surveys of 381 University students and accounts gathered from six focus groups indicated that many students felt police-enforcement strategies, which they said were sometimes unnecessary and irrational, could lead to riots.
Students also said simultaneously breaking up multiple parties could lead to mob mentality that produces violent situations, according to the study.
University senior Jessica Mauer, who was at a 2002 riot at East 14th Avenue and Ferry Street that led to 37 arrests, said police could have better-controlled the three-hour riot.
“The cops came and left to get their riot gear because it was so out of control,” Mauer said. “They probably could have stopped it when it was small, but they were gone a good hour. People were calling each other on their phones, then someone decided to light a street sign on fire, and everyone went haywire.”
The Eugene Police Department, along with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, partnered with several University departments to gather research.
EPD Police Planner Linda Phelps said the department uses prevention strategies when time allows, such as checking in on West University neighborhood residents who register kegs and informing them about party-control options and consequences of disorderly conduct. However, the city’s party patrol relies on a “special response fee ordinance,” which forces residents cited for disorderly parties to repay the city for a second police response to an address within 90 days. Phelps said that may not be working.
“There are ways for people to get around the system,” Phelps said. “If you call in to say your party is out of control, and you don’t have to pay the special-response fee, then you don’t have that higher level of accountability.”
Blake Jones said recent riots have occurred for different reasons than those in the past.
“When I first got here 10 years ago, problematic parties could be traced to those with tons of fliers,” Blake Jones said. “Now it’s word of mouth and phones that cause students to swarm around each other.”
In addition to problems with police response, alcohol plays a primary role in parties that escalate to violence, according to Blake Jones. Of more than 2,000 keg gallons registered during October 2003, nearly half were consumed in the West University neighborhood, according to OLCC data.
While police intervention is often necessary, officers should address situations that involve alcohol differently, University junior Jessica Eckenroad said.
“People get belligerent and stupid when they’re drunk,” Eckenroad said. “Police need to understand when people are drunk, they can’t deal with them like they’re sober. They should compromise more than demand, because people are more likely to resist demands when they’re drunk.”
With alcohol a primary factor in riots, Eyster said many of the survey results regarding substance use are positive. In comparison with the overall results from the 12 schools in the study, University students reported paying for keg cups less often, paying less for them and going to clubs and bars less frequently. While the study didn’t generate a pattern for when parties turn into riots, Blake Jones said the data can help future efforts for prevention.
“Proactive prevention will make a positive difference to many students,” she said. “It helps to educate about party-control options. So talk to your neighbors before you throw a party, talk to cops if you need help. Not all parties will be problematic.”

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