Eugene police have released the names of those who were arrested during a riot that started Friday evening in the West University neighborhood, including 15 University students.
All but one student were charged with “interfering with police,” which carries a maximum of one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
In the aftermath of the riot, University officials are struggling to understand why students became involved in the first place.
Vice President and Dean of Students
Anne Leavitt said the riot was perplexing
and dangerous.
“Whether students were involved or not, they were affected by it,” she said. “They were at risk.”
She speculated that possible factors for the riot’s escalation could have included the densely packed group of people clustered in the neighborhood where the riot took place, the bonfires set in the streets or the alcohol consumed during the evening.
ASUO President Rachel Pilliod said the riot was unfortunate because the students involved — while representing only a small percentage of the University — reflected badly on the whole student body.
“Most of the students who have talked to (ASUO) were disappointed with the event,” said Pilliod.
The ASUO Executive will hold a meeting tonight to discuss the riot, as well as whether to undertake preventative measures.
Leavitt said events like the riot are rare, especially during the week before school starts. Furthermore, Leavitt said, the rioters didn’t seem to be motivated by any one cause or administrative process.
“I really am puzzled about why it happened,” she said.
But Leavitt is sure of one thing: Something must be done to prevent a future riot, even though the Student Conduct Code won’t allow direct punishment.
“We will fully support all sanctions and court action against students or anyone who was involved,” she said.
Leavitt plans to talk with students who were arrested and make sure they have legal representation.
Also, since arrest records are public information, she plans to write letters to the parents of arrested students.
“Parents need to know that we don’t support this behavior,” she said.
Although Leavitt hasn’t ruled out amending the conduct code to punish rioting students, she said there are several things to consider before a change is made.
The first concern is finding out whether students were watching or were participating in the riot.
“(The University) is worried that students may not have been involved,” she said.
Another roadblock is the long and complicated process of recommending a change to the conduct code and getting it approved by the state.
In the meantime, Leavitt hopes to work with the city, police, Oregon Liquor Control Commission, neighborhoods and students to prevent future disturbances.
“I foresee a lot more work with prevention and education,” she said.
Some think University’s reputation may also be at stake as officials plan preventative measures.
Leavitt said riots hurt the University’s image and affect potential students’ choice to attend the University.
“I think (these events) hurt the University’s reputation, and it hurts Eugene’s reputation,” Leavitt said. “I think people will be watching to see how seriously we take it.”
To successfully resolve the problem, Leavitt is seeking student input on prevention. She can be reached at [email protected].