The
Boomerang September 2020
What Happened in Wall One? by Justus Boesschen Hospers
Ever since all of campus got an apology letter from eight students attending a party, many have wondered what exactly went down that night. We have all seen the videos and pictures of this big mosh pit of people crammed together in a small wall living room. I have also heard plenty of rumours going around about the party. Yet, no one has really been able to tell me what exactly happened that night. I talked to some people that attended the party and think that I am able to give a short overview of the night. Hopefully, it will clear up the confusion and put an end to the rumour mill and the finger-pointing that has been happening lately. The big party at Wall One did not start until 01:00 AM. Before that, however, there were many smaller parties on and off-campus. So far, I have heard about a gathering in the forest near the Kromme Rijn, a first-years meet-up in K, and a small party behind Adam Smith. Knowing campus, I can imagine that there were many more. Some of these were organized by frats, but many others were not. People were getting drunk and wanted to go somewhere. Apparently, a bunch more people showed up at the party in K. The people living in that unit got uncomfortable with it and kicked everyone out. Instead of going home, someone offered to bring the party to their unit in Kromhout. A crowd of people started to form in front of Kromhout.
me that they talked to the officers. They did not attend the party but lived next-door and explained the situation to the police. By this time, everyone had escaped the area and there was no reason for the police to stay. No one got a warning or got arrested. Yet, this was far from the end of the night. When the coast was clear again, many drunk students started popping out of all the different Kromhout units. They were wondering where to go next. From what I heard, someone in Wall One was okay with a few people coming over to their unit to continue the night. As they crossed the quad to the other side of campus, many other small groups of party-craving students started following them. Everyone was let in. Soon, all the furniture was moved to the side of the room to make space for more people. Some students that came from a small-scale frat borrel earlier that day had brought their big speaker. It got plugged in to be able to play music for the whole crowd. More and more people started flocking to the music at Wall One. At the height of the party, there were around 90 people in the unit. While
Illustration Š Lea Litvak
At the same time, the party behind Adam Smith had become busier and louder. Around midnight, security went there to shut it down. That group of students, however, did not go home. They also went to Kromhout. At this point, there were about fifty people there. Police got called and showed up to the party. A police car drove onto the field between Locke and Kromhout. Panic broke out. Everyone scattered and hid in nearby units. Someone (who prefers to remain anonymous) told
there were some members of many different fraternities and sororities, it was not organized by any of them. It was simply the result of many smaller parties that got shut down. Students were drunk and looking for a good time. Weirdly enough, neither security nor police showed up to Wall One. The party went on until at least 4 in the morning. The next day, however, some students would face some serious consequences for their actions. Some pictures and videos of the night, some screen-grabbed from students’ social media posts, had made their way to the UCU Crisis Team. Unitmates emailed administration telling them what their housemates had done. Students that were recognizable in those images were asked to come to College Hall for an urgent meeting. There, some members of the Crisis Team sat on the other side of a table from them and threatened these students with expulsion. They were also asked to name more students who attended. The small group of students refused to do so. Ultimately, they were asked to write an apology letter to all students and all members of staff. Additionally, the group of students also have been asked to ensure that students stick to the safety measures at all times. They helped College Hall come up with new plans and proposals for corona-proof social events. They will also try to stand up to people who are not sticking to the regulations. However, one of them told me that this is very difficult as no one takes them seriously anymore. In the last few weeks, they have received a lot of negative attention and have become the butt of many jokes. Of course, they should be held accountable for their actions. Yet, we should also remember that about 15% of all students on campus attended the party. Well, there you have it. I have tried to write down the events of the night as truthfully as possible. I do not want to blame anyone for the night. As I understand it, the party was the result of many stupid decisions from many very drunk people. I hope that we can all learn from it.
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