McMaster University working to ‘dissuade’ students from attending unsanctioned ‘homecoming’, street parties this fall

With homecoming season looming, McMaster University says it is working to discourage students from attending unauthorized, off-campus street parties this fall.

Last year, thousands of students filled the streets of a west Hamilton neighbourhood - trampling lawns, swinging from trees and destroying a young athlete's car - on the day of the Marauders football team's first home game of the season.

We are asking students to avoid the extremely high risks associated with large gatherings, whether in Hamilton or in any community across Ontario," Sean Van Koughnett, associate vice-president and dean of students said in a Sept. 14 statement.

McMaster spokesperson Michelle Donovan said in an email that the university does not support these types of activities and actively works with community partners to try and dissuade students from attending street parties."

Donovan confirmed there will be no homecoming football game or other university activities this year." The university last hosted an official homecoming in 2019.

Even though there are no homecoming events at the university, Hamilton could still be the focus for some street events," Donovan said.

Donovan said there are new developments" in how the university and the city plan to deal with large gatherings of rowdy students this year.

One of the them is the new party bylaw that targets nuisance behaviours" ranging from public drunkenness to excessive noise, blocking traffic and property damage. Under the bylaw, organizers and attendees can be fined between $500 and $10,000 for a first offence, and up to $25,000 for further transgressions.

The best way to avoid these fines is not to go," Hamilton police Chief Frank Bergen said in the statement.

Donovan said there will be zero tolerance" enforcement in parts of Westdale and the Dalewood area, two areas near the university designated as part of the University District Safety Initiative established by police and the city. The two zones will have heightened enforcement from Sept. 28 at midnight to Oct. 2 at 11:59 p.m.

Also new this year is the university's Good Neighbour campaign to encourage positive neighbourly interactions" between students and other community members. The campaign, launched in early August ahead of the school year, aims to get students to care for their neighbours by introducing themselves, ensuring sidewalks are accessible and keeping noise levels low, among other behaviours.

Donovan said the university will again pay for off-duty officers for anticipated parties to assist in the police response within the community" and reduce impacts on municipal services - a support that has been in place for years. She did not say whether the university planned to increase the number of hires this year.

We will be reaching out to our students in many ways and hope that some of those initiatives will also reach the many people who have no McMaster connection but who travel from one community to another to attend these parties," Donovan said. This is a challenge many cities are facing, not just Hamilton."

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com