Staff writer
Students Being Held in Check: "Obviously, I came to Penn State because I wanted to party," Pat Kinch, a freshman at Penn State Altoona said, "Nittany Pointe is real cool and all, but it has been real uptight as I’ve noticed so far. There is not a whole lot of flexibility. The security is a little too tight." Kinch said that he’s not sure why police and security are bothering students because they are just college kids out for a good time. He feels there is such a big difference between police here and in State College and feels State College students are given more freedom than students here in Altoona. "It’s excessive completely. I asked a friend to come up and help with homework on a 'Thirsty Thursday' (a nickname for Thursdays by college students)," Kinch’s roommate, Devin Burke, said. "They wouldn’t even let her come up. I pay to live here and if I want to have people in my room to help with my homework, I’m allowed." Kinch and Burke’s other roommate, Bryce Bielich, also a freshman, agrees. He thinks it is ridiculous how protective they are here. All three believe in Driving Under the Influence (DUI) checkpoints, but to bust someone just walking is crazy. They also think its unfair that underage students at a party that gets busted and are not drinking, they still get an underage citation. They all agreed that police’s purpose is to protect and serve, not to scare students. “They are endangering us even more,” Burke said. “I’ve heard stories of people jumping off of balconies to get away because they were scared. I climbed out of a window because I wasn’t even drunk but there was alcohol at the place I was at. I wanted to get away and not get in trouble for not doing anything but being there.” “When security hears any noises, whether it is from a party or not,” Bielich said. “They come checking to make sure if it is truly a party or not. If it is a party, it is going to be busted.” Logan Township Chief of Police, Ron Heller, said at a meeting of residents that this school year, laws were going to be aggressively enforced. “Over the summer, residents came to several supervisors meetings,” Heller said. “The meetings were so packed, it was standing room only. There were crowds of 75-100 people at every meeting.” The residents were concerned about underage drinking, disorderly conduct, student housing near their homes and littering in their neighborhoods. Heller said that he’s not sure if the increase and/or the aggressiveness of patrolling are going to make a difference. During last year’s school year, Logan Township arrested a total of 200 people. There were not as many arrests made in the fall semester as there was in the spring semester last year. Heller estimated about 130 arrests were made in the spring semester of last year. This school year however, 55 arrests have been made. These arrests all have occurred within the first month of school. This is about ¼ of last year’s total arrests. “If we receive any phone calls from residents around the campus, we are going to look into them and we are going to make the necessary contacts that we have to,” Heller said. “Of the 55 arrests, 52 of them were students and of the 52, 38 of them were from the party on Woomer Road. There have been other arrests made at Nittany Pointe and along Gwynn Road.”
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