Minor citations given out during Homecoming

A normal college homecoming is filled with school spirit, sports games and, of course, alcohol. But for Minnesota State University, Mankato students this year, it seems the alcohol part may have been a lower priority.

Dan Schisel, Associate Director of Public Safety Resources for the city of Mankato, noted how different this year’s homecoming was compared to celebrations in the past. 

Even though students could be seen showing their Maverick pride at almost every corner of campus, Schisel said there were far fewer citations handed out for underage alcohol consumption.

A quick questionnaire conducted of random MNSU students on campus found very few underage students admitted to drinking over the weekend. A majority of the students in the questionnaire were either drinking legally or didn’t drink at all. Seventeen said they did not drink; three drank legally; one drank illegally.

“We went to a few large parties, or a few calls of service including a loud party. We wrote only a few underage consumption citations. There were very, very few,” Schisel said.

While there is no exact number at this time for the number of citations handed out, Schisel said the department was happy with the turnout of events and how smoothly the weekend went.  

“For the most part, it was a very successful and safe weekend,” he said. “The students, I think they had a safe weekend.”

He also wanted to thank everyone involved with homecoming in some aspect and how they kept the festivities protected. 

“We are very happy and appreciative that the community and the people attending and the people holding the events did a really good job of maintaining the event.

“They [the events] were sold out or just about sold out, but I gotta compliment the people that held them,” he said. “They held the attendees accountable and we were not called to many of them.”

One of the popular events for MNSU students during homecoming is the Kato Jam party held in College Town, and there were some police officers staffed at the party, along with paramedics, to ensure the safety of the students.

“I think they’ve learned how to provide a lot of activities and keep them [the students] engaged in activities that keep them busy,” Schisel stated.

There were a few calls that were made for other disputes downtown Saturday night into early Sunday morning, but this can’t be linked directly to homecoming.