DURHAM, N.H. – On Saturday April 12, 2003 rioting occurred at the University of New Hampshire campus after their hockey team, the Wildcats, lost the NCAA hockey championships to Minnesota in Buffalo, New York. About 4,000 students spilled into the streets after the 5 to 1 loss and proceeded to throw bottles at police, set off firecrackers, and start bonfires with mattresses and couches. The mass of people blocked traffic and some even tried to tip over cars. This caused police from around the state to put on riot gear to control the crowd. It took almost two hours for the crowd to begin to disperse, and it took spraying pepper gas in the street for this to happen.
Officials said that Durham police arrested 87 people, and some face charges as sever as assault. The students among these charges face possible suspension. Police estimated property damage at $10,000 and police overtime costs at $30,000 to $40,000. University of New Hampshire officials said that they will use “every measure” to identify and discipline students who threw bottles at the police and set fires. “The university believes that the costs associated with the incident will be borne by those responsible,” the Board of Trustees stated. “The Board wishes to make clear its expectation that unruly behavior will not be tolerated and it fully endorses all necessary steps to address the problem.”
A week beforehand, when it became clear that UNH would compete in the national championship, administrators began working with student leaders, fraternities and sororities, and others to advise the student body that illegal activities would be dealt with. The town of Durham and others took steps to provide enough police were on hand. “But in the end, the very large number of students, the aggressive behavior of relatively few, and the challenge facing police, turned the event into a truly dangerous confrontation,” the Board of Trustees said in their statement. University spokeswoman Kim Billings said university officials were to meet Tuesday April 15, 2003 with town police to view videotapes of the disturbance before deciding on school punishment.
Some students were treated for pepper spray later on that night, and one police officer suffered a sprained back, but there were no serious injuries, said Gregg Sanborn, executive assistant to the university president. He also said that there was no major damage downtown, but he still called the disturbance “the worst I’ve seen on this campus.”
UNH has every intention of repaying the town for damages incurred. He added student leaders also are considering ways to help defray the costs. The senior assistant vice president for student affairs, Anne Lawing, said that the university had warned students before the hockey team went to Buffalo last Thursday. The university went to such lengths as to putting two half-page ads in the student newspaper and talked to students about safety, making smart decisions and the consequences of bad behavior, Lawing said. “It’s frustrating,” she said. “We’re sad. We’re really searching for answers.”
UNH and town officials began meeting in late February to discuss planning and preparations for off-campus behavior in the spring. Discussions began to focus on how the town and university would respond to student reactions following Saturday’s game. UNH Police and Durham Police worked cooperatively with 14 police departments, including state police and three county sheriff’s offices. Durham Police provided briefings to outside police agencies prior to Saturday, so that outside agencies would know what to expect. UNH Police had all campus dumpsters emptied Saturday prior to the game to eliminate dumpster fires. Both UNH and Durham Police met with Greek leadership prior to the game as well. The Greek houses all voluntarily agreed not to host registered parties that would include outside guests not affiliated with the chapter houses. Students in Greek leadership positions patrolled the streets with police, and after the disturbance ended around midnight, took to the streets to clean up debris.
Durham Police Chief David Kurz sent letters to all downtown businesses, giving them tips on securing their property, including taking in all trash bins and removing loose signs. During and after the game on Saturday extra police patrols were be visible throughout the campus and the town of Durham to watch out for these businesses and local residents. In addition, faculty and staff also were patrolling, to insure that all students stayed safe. The Durham/UNH Fire Department provided double shift coverage Saturday night, with fire trucks in downtown locations. They also doubled the number of fire inspectors, including two inspectors from the state fire marshal’s office.
“Clearly, there needs to be a significant culture change on our campus,” said UNH President Ann Weaver Hart. “Our short-term planning doesn’t solve the bigger problem, and the bigger problem is the lack of respect many of our students have for their community.” She said the university would explore the idea of hosting a summit over the summer on student behavior, which would include UNH police, Durham police, Justice works, and key leaders of the campus. Also, students from other universities around the country that have experienced the same unlawful behavior, such as Ohio, Kansas, An Minnesota, would be invited to attend. “UNH is the state university that we want citizens to be proud of, not ashamed of,” Hart said.