Rebecca McKinsey • Staff Writer
After Palmerfest's fiery conclusion early Sunday morning, current Ohio University Student Senate members and candidates for next year's senate said they could not have prevented the couch burning that ended the annual party.
At about 11 p.m., partygoers started a couch fire in the street, prompting the Athens Police Department to shut down Palmerfest for the second year in a row. Police officers finished clearing the street at about 12:45 a.m., according to a City of Athens news release.
Senate's goal at Palmerfest was not to prevent illegal activity, but rather to make sure students were safe and hydrated, senate members and candidates said.
Members of both the Prepared to Engage, Act and Respond and SOUND tickets participated in senate's fest safety task force - passing out water bottles, granola bars and crackers to students attending the fest - in addition to campaigning among the masses of students who lined Palmer Street.
City and County Affairs Emily Hanford, running for president on the P.E.A.R. ticket, said that she left the fest after P.E.A.R. finished campaigning around 2 p.m. She said she encouraged those on her ticket to act responsibly at the fest, especially when wearing their P.E.A.R. shirts, and appealed especially to the underage members to avoid drinking. She added that although she wanted the members of her ticket to serve as an example for OU students, she did not expect them to intercede in potentially dangerous situations.
When we see things happening
students need to tell people 'That's not appropriate ' Hanford said. But can you stop a person with a lighter ready to burn a couch on fire? I'd never do that.
Academic Affairs Commissioner Jesse Neader, running for president on the SOUND ticket, said that senate members and candidates were not a preventative agency.
We're not the cops or anything
Neader said. We were just trying to give them water. ... To go out there and say
'Hey
stop
' makes you a target for a glass bottle
and ultimately we don't want anybody getting hurt.
Neader did not participate in the fest safety task force or campaigning, but was at Palmerfest in the evening wearing a SOUND T-shirt and enjoying (himself) as a 21-year-old. He added that he encouraged SOUND candidates to use common sense while at the fest and not go in their shirts if they thought that they were going to be doing something stupid.
Neader said next year if he is elected Student Senate president he will lead conversations with Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl, Athens Police Chief Rick Mayer and Ohio University President Roderick McDavis to prevent potential riots at fests in the future. He said he does not, however, think the fests should end completely.
(Senate needs to) identify that it's not all our students who are doing this ... we have a lot of people who come in from out of town
he said. I think (the fests) are a part of the OU culture. They just need to be executed with responsibility
and burning stuff is not responsible.
Hanford added that if she were elected president, she might look into limiting students' ability to bring guests to the fests next year. She noted that of the 30 people arrested at Palmerfest, only 10 were OU students.
Both presidential candidates said they were disappointed with students' actions at Palmerfest, especially given the city's proposed noise ordinance. Senate also disagrees with the roof ordinance that Athens City Council recently passed. Both Hanford and Neader said the ordinances are not justified. Current Senate President Robert Leary said that senate's efforts to stop the ordinances' passing or lessen their effect were being spoiled by a small percentage of OU students.
It makes our job more difficult when people are setting things on fire and throwing beer bottles at police officers
Leary said.
Leary, who was present at last year's Palmerfest fire but not this year's, said that although the fest safety task force is new, his ticket, iOU, campaigned at Palmerfest last year. He said the fests are effective campaign venues if senate members act responsibly.
Senate is not the only group responsible for making sure students don't get in trouble at fests; every OU student should be conscious of his effect on Ohio University's reputation, Leary said.
