Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong submitted a letter to the editor before St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
The Mustang News column referred to in this story can be found at ‘Did Cal Poly and SLO just set the stage for another St. Fratty’s disaster?’
With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, it seems a good opportunity to talk about the idea of responsibility.
Past St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on and near our campus have seen some members of our campus community — along with other local residents and visitors — taking part in truly shameful and dangerous actions, such as widespread damage to residence halls, theft from dining facilities, unlawful gatherings on and off campus, damage to neighbors’ yards and property, public drunkenness, and poor choices that have led to student injuries.
Speaking frankly, these were irresponsible actions not becoming of Cal Poly students — a disgrace not only to the individuals involved but also to our broader university and community.
In recent weeks, we have communicated directly and often with campus, asking students to embrace personal responsibility and making it known that those who cannot abide by the laws and policies governing our community will be held accountable by the city and the university.
This is not to say that Cal Poly doesn’t bear some of the onus of working to change the culture of St. Patrick’s Day in our community. Our university is working closely and diligently with our partners at the City of San Luis Obispo to implement procedures and programming aimed at giving students alternative ways to celebrate and enforcing laws and policies to keep our campus and community safe.
Changes this year will include significantly increased enforcement and patrols by city and Cal Poly police and university employees. Some may not like that, but it is the past behaviors of students and others that necessitate the need for these extra eyes and ears on hand to maintain safety in our community and hold responsible anyone who breaks the law.
The university and City of San Luis Obispo have also collaborated on the concept of this year’s Morning On the Green — A Mustang Music Festival. It is a concert event aimed at providing an alternative way for our students to celebrate, away from the neighborhoods near campus where past years have seen disorderly gatherings of several hundreds of students.
While I wish we had the means to stage an event with the capacity to include every one of our students, the fact is our campus does not have a venue large enough and the number of attendees must be manageable and approved by the fire marshal. As is, the concert will be the largest-ever music event held on campus by approximately 2,000 people.
Furthermore, the festival was never intended to accommodate all, or even a majority, of Cal Poly’s students for the simple fact that most students don’t take part in unruly celebrations.
I’ve been disappointed that some students in recent days have threatened more destruction of property and promised more street gatherings this year — with many saying they will do so in protest of not being able to obtain a ticket to the planned March 15 concert on campus. While I wish the concert could accommodate every student who wants to attend, in no way do students who didn’t get a ticket have the right to take to the streets and cause problems.
I was further troubled by a Mustang News column this week that included a thinly veiled threat that increased law enforcement presence or the failure to accommodate every student at the alternative event are grounds for students to partake in street parties and destruction, without any accountability and personal responsibility by students themselves. I believe in the intelligence and quality of our students and trust this sort of entitled thinking comes from a very small minority of students.
I want to be clear that the vast majority of Cal Poly students are reasonable, responsible and respectful of their community — and I greatly appreciate all of you. I want to be equally clear any students who make poor choices and decide to break the law in the name of fun and at the expense of their own and others’ wellbeing, reputation, safety and peace will be held accountable.
To be sure, many concerned students have joined in the university’s effort this year to steer away from out-of-control partying on St. Patrick’s Day. They’ve seen the damage it has caused to the community and the reputation of Cal Poly and its students, and they are helping us work to change the culture of this holiday.
While college is a time to have fun, it’s also a time to become responsible young adults and take personal responsibility for one’s own actions. I ask all of our students — the young adults to whom our university has extended the privilege of a Cal Poly education — to take responsibility this St. Patrick’s Day. For those who can’t exercise self-control and act with decency, the university and city will hold you fully accountable for your actions.
I expressed this sentiment in the wake of St. Patrick’s Day 2024, and it bears reiterating this year: If the types of activities a student chooses to take part in include vandalizing residences; unsafe behavior like climbing telephone and power poles; or large, drunken gatherings that destroy neighbors’ property and cause them to fear for their safety, then Cal Poly is not the right place for that student.
Make the choice to celebrate in a way that will not endanger your safety, negatively impact those around you, or risk your future at Cal Poly.
Jeffrey D. Armstrong
President
Cal Poly