I hope this message finds you well as we approach fall mid-terms. One of my roles as AVC of Colleges, Housing and Educational Services is to provide you with information that helps you to make safe choices. You should find the information below useful as you plan how and where to spend your time on Halloween this year.
On behalf of the University and the City of Santa Cruz, I encourage you to avoid downtown Santa Cruz on Halloween night and instead choose to be on campus in order to participate in one or more of the many programs offered throughout our college and residential communities. Please see http://housing.ucsc.edu/news/2014/2014-10-20.html for a listing of programs being hosted on campus. In past years on Halloween, the downtown has been marred by incidents of violence, including stabbings. Out of concern for community members who may unintentionally become victims of violence, the City of Santa Cruz takes a no tolerance stance toward those that would disrupt the community’s safety.
Like the City of Santa Cruz, the UC Santa Cruz Police Department also enforces a no tolerance policy as regards unlawful, disruptive and/or dangerous behavior, and will deploy appropriate staff to deal with any issues that arise. The UC Santa Cruz Police Department and allied law enforcement agencies will forward information to Student Conduct regarding those campus affiliates engaged in unlawful, disruptive and/or dangerous behavior. Additional CSO’s will also be deployed throughout the campus’ residential areas. Please be mindful and respectful of all campus policies, rules, and regulations.
Do not hesitate to report any suspicious activity or behavior by dialing 911 (on campus you may also dial 831/459-2231,
ext 1). In addition, if you feel that someone is suffering from substance poisoning or other medical emergency, dial 911 immediately.
If, however, you do choose to go downtown, please be advised:
- UCSC will operate Night Owl buses on an augmented schedule from downtown Santa Cruz (Cathcart Street) approximately every 20 minutes from 11:45pm until 2:50am Halloween Night. CSO’s will be riding these buses to assist in identifying those individuals that are clearly intoxicated and cannot care for themselves or others. These individuals will not be allowed onto the bus, and Police and/or Fire may be summoned to assess individuals.
- Bus service from the downtown area may be limited and you may find yourself walking back up to campus. Should you have to walk back to campus, please remember to be good neighbors (i.e., respect the city noise ordinance, traffic laws and the property of others). Try to walk home with others as it can be very dark along several sections of the route back to campus.
- Be advised that the downtown area has been designated a “triple fine” area for violations of city ordinances beginning on Thursday, October 30th and extending through the early hours of Saturday, November 1. Should you be involved in any incident for which you are cited by the City of Santa Cruz Police, you will also be referred to the office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for possible University judicial action.
In addition to the above, the City of Santa Cruz Police Department has asked the University to share the following with UCSC students:
“If you are planning to come to downtown Santa Cruz on Halloween night, we ask that you have fun and behave responsibly. With the well-being of our residents and visitors in mind, the City has concentrated resources downtown to promote a safe environment that everyone can enjoy. This includes over 100 law enforcement officers from 9 agencies patrolling the downtown corridor and triple fines for certain violations of the Municipal Code. Triple fines and court costs make an alcoholic open container violation total $480, and littering almost $300.”
For your reference, information regarding the triple fine zone in the City of Santa Cruz is available at: http://housing.ucsc.edu/news/2014/pdf/halloween-triple-fine-zone.pdf
I hope that you have a fun and safe time this Halloween.
