By Jonathan Hiser
On Halloween night, UP Public Safety was out in force. They were ready for the worst. UP officers and patrol vehicles were poised to spring into action at a moment's call.
Then, nothing.
By the end of the night, Public Safety had received one emergency phone call, fewer than on a typical night. The call was in response to a non-party-related issue. Director of Public Safety Harold Burke-Sivers said he wasn't surprised by the turn of events.
"During the winter months, off-campus parties tend to really quiet down a lot," Burke-Sivers said.
Not even Halloween was an exception to this trend.
Burke-Sivers suspects that the cold and rainy weather is the final straw for students already preoccupied by coursework and holiday plans. Even if students go out to parties, the colder temperatures usually keep them from wandering to ones nearby.
Residence Life Director Mike Walsh said he doesn't think the weather decreases the number of parties or students so much as it keeps them indoors and off the streets. Closed windows may keep out the cold, but it also keeps in the noise.
Public Safety typically responds to off-campus parties only if they receive a noise complaint from a neighbor. Less noise means fewer reports, but not necessarily fewer parties. Walsh said he doesn't mind not knowing how many parties go on during the week, so long as they are well-mannered.
"I know there are plenty of parties that are happening out there that we never hear about," Walsh said. "We only know about the small percentage of houses that have problems."
Senior Wes Studer said he thinks the stress of upcoming exams and papers is primarily what keeps students indoors on the weekends, although the winter weather is definitely a hindrance.
"From my experience, it's usually 'I can't, I've got a paper or exam,'" Studer said. "It really depends on how they're going to spend their weekend."
Junior Trenton Conyers said weather is a deciding factor for him, noting that most of his recent party invitations were turned down on account of rain. For Conyers, walking in the rain just wasn't part of his evening plans.
Walsh said he encourages off-campus gatherings and hopes that the bad weather won't stifle students' desires to mingle.
"We really applaud students who have regular parties that are handled well," Walsh said.
Weather isn't the only factor to consider. A pickup in exams and class work tends to settle students down, Walsh said.
"During the beginning of the year, everyone is meeting and greeting, but as things move into the winter, I think students have begun to more back into school focus," Burke-Sivers said.
Despite the lull, Burke-Sivers said he expects the noise complaints to go up once the weather improves.
