Bad behaviour can ruin the reputations of many
Every year, students look forward
to St. Patrick's Day; it's like
the Halloween of spring. You get to
dress up in ridiculous costumes and
party all day with your friends. For
the most part, St. Patty's can be a
day full of fun, but unfortunately,
this past March 17 has raised some
issues within the Fanshawe College
community.
On Thurman Circle, festivities were taken to the streets, a mattress was burned and one person was arrested.
Emily Marcoccia, Fanshawe's director of marketing and corporate communications, discussed the college's concerns about what incidents like this mean for the students at Fanshawe. "It's unfortunate for the majority of Fanshawe students who have learned to be responsible and who do celebrate responsibly, that the actions of a few or maybe even a dozen really ends up damaging the reputation of all," said Marcoccia.
Fanshawe Student Union President Joe Scalia shared similar concerns. "It's disappointing that students choose to represent themselves that way. I don't think they realize it makes all of us look bad."
In light of a few events that have taken place in this neighbourhood in the past, the city seems to put Fanshawe students under the microscope.
"We're at a point of frustration where we believe our students are being unfairly targeted as the only people in town who allegedly misbehave; we simply don't believe that to be the truth," said Marcoccia.
According to Marcoccia, even the London police have spoken with the college about St. Patty's Day: "They told us that the incident on Thurman Circle that a lot of people are referring to, in their opinion, was not as significant as it was reported."
Though the mattress burning on St. Patty's Day at Thurman Circle is a concern of the college, there are other issues related to this subdivision that need to be addressed.
"What we did learn that was dismaying to us and very disappointing was the amount of broken glass left in the neighbourhood," said Marcoccia. "We would like to remind all students, not just Fanshawe students, that that is a subdivision, and there are people who live there who are not students."
Another major concern is that, according to first-hand accounts of people who attended parties in this neighbourhood on St. Patrick's Day, approximately 50 per cent of attendees were not Fanshawe students.
"We have heard from people that were there that the partiers were not just Fanshawe students, that as we know the Fleming subdivision has become a bit of a destination, which is very unfortunate," said Marcoccia.
As for how incidents like this can be avoided in the future, Marcoccia said it is very important that students begin talking to each other about this kind of behaviour. "It needs to be deemed by students to other students that that is totally not acceptable."
With the end of the school year around the corner, Marcoccia offered some tips on how students can ensure their year end parties don't get out of control. "Keep your parties small, don't advertise them, don't post them on Facebook, it will attract people that are either underage or from another part of the city, and very likely from another city. Keep your parties relatively small; know the people who are attending your homes. It's always a good idea for students who live in rental units to keep their parties in the back of the house."
Despite this incident, Marcoccia credited this year's students: "It has been the best year in the college's five-year history of trying to manage the issue of students living safely in the community."
If students work together, they can change their reputation within the community, highlighting the accomplishments of the many rather than the poor behaviour of a few.
On Thurman Circle, festivities were taken to the streets, a mattress was burned and one person was arrested.
Emily Marcoccia, Fanshawe's director of marketing and corporate communications, discussed the college's concerns about what incidents like this mean for the students at Fanshawe. "It's unfortunate for the majority of Fanshawe students who have learned to be responsible and who do celebrate responsibly, that the actions of a few or maybe even a dozen really ends up damaging the reputation of all," said Marcoccia.
Fanshawe Student Union President Joe Scalia shared similar concerns. "It's disappointing that students choose to represent themselves that way. I don't think they realize it makes all of us look bad."
In light of a few events that have taken place in this neighbourhood in the past, the city seems to put Fanshawe students under the microscope.
"We're at a point of frustration where we believe our students are being unfairly targeted as the only people in town who allegedly misbehave; we simply don't believe that to be the truth," said Marcoccia.
According to Marcoccia, even the London police have spoken with the college about St. Patty's Day: "They told us that the incident on Thurman Circle that a lot of people are referring to, in their opinion, was not as significant as it was reported."
Though the mattress burning on St. Patty's Day at Thurman Circle is a concern of the college, there are other issues related to this subdivision that need to be addressed.
"What we did learn that was dismaying to us and very disappointing was the amount of broken glass left in the neighbourhood," said Marcoccia. "We would like to remind all students, not just Fanshawe students, that that is a subdivision, and there are people who live there who are not students."
Another major concern is that, according to first-hand accounts of people who attended parties in this neighbourhood on St. Patrick's Day, approximately 50 per cent of attendees were not Fanshawe students.
"We have heard from people that were there that the partiers were not just Fanshawe students, that as we know the Fleming subdivision has become a bit of a destination, which is very unfortunate," said Marcoccia.
As for how incidents like this can be avoided in the future, Marcoccia said it is very important that students begin talking to each other about this kind of behaviour. "It needs to be deemed by students to other students that that is totally not acceptable."
With the end of the school year around the corner, Marcoccia offered some tips on how students can ensure their year end parties don't get out of control. "Keep your parties small, don't advertise them, don't post them on Facebook, it will attract people that are either underage or from another part of the city, and very likely from another city. Keep your parties relatively small; know the people who are attending your homes. It's always a good idea for students who live in rental units to keep their parties in the back of the house."
Despite this incident, Marcoccia credited this year's students: "It has been the best year in the college's five-year history of trying to manage the issue of students living safely in the community."
If students work together, they can change their reputation within the community, highlighting the accomplishments of the many rather than the poor behaviour of a few.
