Canadian students had a raucous Homecoming celebration
Ontario police issued several hundred fines and finally exhaled.
The Canadian city of London, Ontario, is finally breathing a sigh of relief after a massive student walkout that lasted all weekend. Only today the police were able to abandon the state of high alert and summarize the results. And this year's results are impressive:
- 38 charges in connection with violations of the liquor law;
- 16 charges due to traffic violations;
- 249 administrative fines for various law and order violations (noise, hooliganism and the like);
- And finally, 10 more charges based on various bylaws (not laws like all of the above).
What was that all about?
So went the 2023 annual multi-day Western University party or Homecoming. It is a series of events dedicated to students meeting alumni, sharing their experiences and having fun together. Homecoming is an American tradition, but it has caught on at select institutions in Canada. While university students usually enjoy it, Homecoming has become a regular headache for police officers.
Unlike Americans, Canadian students often time their festivities to coincide with soccer games. This year, the formal occasion was the Western Mustangs' game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday, September 23. On that day, police estimated that around 10,000 students participated in various spontaneous events — that's about 2.5% of the entire population of London!
How do universities and authorities feel about this?
University administrators usually turn a blind eye to what is going on and simply implore students to remain sensible. A couple days before Homecoming, the Western University strongly advised students not to congregate off campus.
Vice Provost John Derksen reminded the Universalists of the community's values, which include safety and mutual respect, among others. At the same time, he agreed that Homecoming is a great time and a great reason to celebrate.
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