April 1, 2015

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LIFE CENTRAL MICHIGAN

MAP: SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS POSTED THROUGHOUT CAMPUS PAGE 7A

COLUMN: RESPONSIBILITY IN THE WAKE OF TRAGEDY PAGE 7A

wednesday, april 1, 2015 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 73 VOL. 96

SCHOOL

SPIRITS CMU, law enforcement struggle to understand new phenomenon of ‘event’ binge drinking Ben Solis Staff Reporter

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lcohol abuse is not a new problem, but party culture at Central Michigan University is evolving in a way police and administrators are finding difficult to understand. Excessive consumption is the new norm. Event drinking and binging have replaced the house party. In October, event drinking proved fatal for an 18-year-old man who wasn’t enrolled here. According to CMU’s own research, young students view binge drinking and partying as essential to the university experience – ideas formed before they are enrolled at the university. Out of the 2,539 freshmen who took Part I and II of Residence Life’s mandatory AlcoholEdu program in fall 2014, 54 percent said they consume shots and engage in party pre-gaming when drinking alcohol. That number is nearly 7 percent higher than the national average. The survey also asked students about negative consequences they experienced related to drinking. What is alarming for school administrators is that 41 percent reported blacking out. That number is also higher than the national average by 4 percent, and has been on the rise since 2012. These new challenges are making it difficult for police and Residence Life officials to fight an issue they don’t completely understand. “It’s disappointing because we continue to see this pattern of behavior,” said Michelle Veith, associate director of Residence Life. “(Event drinking) is not isolated to CMU. No one knows how to completely combat it. We just throw stuff at a wall and see what sticks.”

The Rise of ‘Event Drinking’ Student Affairs Executive Director Shaun Holtgreive uses a term to classify a growing campus phenomenon – “event drinking.” It is a college life cliche, Holtgreive said, that is perpetuated by messages from peers and the media that tell young people there are no rules or consequences for excessive, or irresponsible, partying.

“Somehow (party holidays) have taken on this mystique,” Holtgreive said. “While I don’t condone what happens at some Welcome Weekends, (I understand) it’s tied to something. You know it was coming.” This year Welcome Weekend parties drew big crowds, including many out-of-town revelers, but Holtgreive said these gatherings don’t compare to the growing emphasis

on holidays like the all-day drinking that happens on St. Patrick’s Day. “About eight or 10 years ago, St. Patrick’s Day was just another day,” he said. “No one back then said ‘Let’s get dressed up and go drinking at 8 a.m.’ When it first started to build that kind of reputation it was a surprise to everyone.” event | 6a

Photo illustration by Daytona Niles | Photo Editor

Police documents reveal event drinking a factor in Hartnett’s death By Malachi Barrett News Editor

Michael Hartnett visited Central Michigan University for the third time on Oct. 3. He planned on making lasting memories with his friends during Homecoming Weekend. What followed was a typical Chippewa weekend, but underage drinking played a part in what resulted in tragedy. Using police records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Central Michigan Life can finally show the events that led to Hartnett’s death. Roughly 300 pages of interviews, surveillance camera footage, phone records and autopsy reports were compiled by CMU police and submitted to the Isabella County Prosecuting Attorney’s office in January. The office announced no charges would be filed Jan. 12. CM Life has spent the months

since conducting a detailed investigation that charts Hartnett’s arrival on campus to when he was found dead in the Fabiano Botanical Garden. The 18-year-old Dearborn Heights man drove to Mount Pleasant with friends Brandon Esseily and Emily Koller, planning on staying with his longtime friend, freshman Andrew Murray in Herrig File Photo | Taryn Wattles Hall. They arrived around 1:30 p.m., Flowers were placed Oct. 15, 2014 by the Fabiano Botanical gardens pond in memory heading to the Intramural Sports of Michael Hartnett. fields to watch Murray compete remembered seeing Hartnett at the with the Exiles Rugby Club team. They began the day with breakfast party or meeting him. Sophomore Saoirse Haughney met at the Fresh Food Company dinHartnett and Murray drank at the the group at the game. ing hall. Hartnett bought a CMU party until about midnight before That night, the rugby team had a crew neck sweatshirt at the CMU returning to Herrig Hall at 2 a.m. social event for friends of players at Bookstore to prepare for the brisk 4910 S. Crawford St. where six playfall weather before arriving in Lot 63 ers live. Hartnett, Koller, Haughney around 12:30 p.m. Tailgate and Murray arrived at 11:30 p.m. Matt Silski and his girlfriend According to statements Murray When interviewed by police, team made to police, he and Hartnett woke Shelby Thompson arrived in Mount members said they do not check Pleasant at 2 p.m. up at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 to prepare for a guest identification at parties. None day of tailgating before CMU played of the team members said they Ohio University. death | 7a

Surveillance cameras document campus events By Jacob Kahn Staff Reporter

Posted throughout campus, 700 cameras record almost every moment at Central Michigan University. One for every 28 on-campus students. The CMU Police Department will be adding 45 surveillance cameras to the North Campus Residence Halls this fall. CMUPD began strategically placing surveillance cameras throughout the university in 2002, starting with the Student Activity Center. Since then CMU has spent a total of $700,000 on surveillance cameras, with an anticipated expenditure of another $45,000 on the new cameras coming this fall. Cameras are funded differently on a case-by-case basis, but the cost is always covered one of two ways; either the department the cameras are going into will pick up the tab with their budget, or the university provides special funding. CMUPD can access live feeds from any of the university’s cameras via their computers, or at any of the four large monitors located in the CMUPD Central Dispatch room, which run a continuous live display of the feeds from the cameras on a rotating cycle. CMUPD Detective Mike Sienkiewicz said officers do not use the cameras for constant monitoring. “CMUPD does not generally monitor cameras on campus unless there is an incident. Seven hundred cameras would take a lot of people,” Sienkiewicz said. “We do use them more on game days or busy weekends like Welcome Weekend.” Sienkiewicz said the cameras are a tool to help keep the campus community safe and investigate crimes. One instance in which CMUPD was able to utilize surveillance footage to help with a case was in 2014, when police used cameras located in Lot 1 to identify suspects in a robbery that occurred during Welcome Weekend. “They were non-students from Saginaw, and we were able to work with law enforcement in Saginaw to identify and convict the suspects by using the video,” Sienkiewicz said. CMUPD said the placement of any cameras is a carefully calculated decision. New lighting in the lot allowed the cameras to capture a higher quality image of the suspects, but there are areas on campus where things are not as visible. Surveillance camera footage also played a large part in CMUPD’s investigation of 18-year-old Michael Hartnett’s death in October. Police were able to track almost every minute of his time on campus, which allowed them to piece together the events leading to his drowning in the Fabiano Botanical Garden. “We add new cameras based on the risk associated with the area. Keeping students safe is a priority for us,” Sienkiewicz said. “Having cameras in areas such as residence halls is an important piece of the security in the residence halls.” Departments can also request that cameras be placed within their buildings based on their own needs. “If a department expressed a need for cameras, we find a solution to fit their request,” Sienkiewicz said. Once the installation of the new North Residence Halls cameras is complete, all 22 of CMU’s residence halls will have cameras. When asked about the coming additions, North Campus residents were surprised their dorms were not already equipped with surveillance cameras. “It’s kind of alarming that we don’t have any cameras,” said Livonia sophomore Rebecca Folson. “Especially since we are so close to the edge of campus.” Folson said more cameras would make her feel safer. “If you’re not doing anything bad, then who cares about the cameras?” Folson said. “We’re right next to Main Street where a lot of things happen.” Ubly sophomore Rakel Obsentosky was surprised how long ago the university started using cameras. camera | 7a


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