The actions of the rioters in the West University neighborhood on the weekend of Sept. 27 drew nationwide attention, while their motivations for their conduct have been largely overlooked.
In the aftermath of the rioting, community members and students have tried to understand the reasons for the behavior, and have come together to brainstorm ways to prevent future riots.
ASUO held a press conference Friday to allow students to voice their responses to the rioting. ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said the conference was designed to let the community know that students at the University care and hope to prevent future outbreaks.
“We wanted the coverage to send our message to the community, and we got that today — so hopefully that will start a conversation,” she said.
She said ASUO’s next step will be to start a series of town hall meetings to address how and why the rioting occurred, and to discuss ways of improving relations between students and the Eugene Police Department.
“Through the media, we have seen a lot of hostility between the community and students, but these people, all of them, are our home. I am glad to see the ASUO taking steps to mend this conflict,” University Diversity Affairs Coordinator Joy Nair said.

University Health Center Peer Health Educator Sariantra Kali said she thinks both alcohol and mob mentality fueled the riots.
Bertram Malle, a social psychologist at the University, said mob mentality occurs when there is a large enough group that people think they won’t be identified, leading them to act more aggressively.
He said combining large groups, nightfall and alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions, and that if two people come up with an idea — such as setting fire to a golf cart — others may follow suit.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, four drinks for a woman or five drinks for a man, when consumed consecutively, constitute binge drinking. Kali said that this is not much for many students, and that they can easily consume this in one night — likely impairing their judgment.
Malle said rioting happens rarely because many elements must come together. He thinks riots occur near holidays or times of change, such as when school starts, Halloween and near graduation. He said that these are exciting times for students, and that police should increase patrols at these times.
“I would find it wrong for there to be a crackdown on parties altogether,” Malle said. “Most of the time students study and get along fine.”
Kali said she would like Party Patrol — a team of officers working overtime during weekends to bust parties and write alcohol citations — to be reinstated.
She said the Party Patrol used to request the addresses of the homes for which kegs had been purchased from local bars and contact the people living there to remind them of their rights and obligations. Kali said she thinks this helped prevent parties from getting out of control.
Pilliod said she doesn’t think the reinstatement of the Party Patrol is the answer, and that just because some students participated in the riots doesn’t mean the student body at large should be punished for the actions of a few.
She also emphasized that the riot was not a student-run event, and is by no means representative of the majority of students at
the University.