Behavior after Mona Kai causes new restrictions, student detained

Dynamic 1, feature 1, Lauren Ho, Mona Kai, News - By Katie Jenkins-Moses on Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 05:26

Due to the student behavior exhibited at Mona Kai, new regulations and rules are being implemented.

Now on-campus dances will end at midnight. “We are also currently negotiating with student groups to get their assistance in dispersing the crowd after and reminding them to be good neighbors,” Associate Dean of Students Andre Coleman said. “It is not just about being a good neighbor to the residents on Penn or Earlham Street but also to the people in the residence halls.”

After the Whittier Police Department shut down Mona Kai 45 minutes early due to 13 noise complaints from neighbors, students displayed disruptive behavior. “Students’ behavior after the event caused a disturbance in the neighborhood that was a tipping point that had been building for some time from past events,” Director of the Leadership, Experience and Programs (LEAP) Office Shauna Young said. “Noise, trash, urination and broken bottles on neighbors’ lawns resulted in formal written complaints to both the City Council and the College to which we needed to respond.”

In addition, a student was detained by the police at the event. “I do not know if the student was charged with a crime but he/she was detained and did leave in a police car,” Coleman said.
“The person has accepted responsibility for it. He/she has apologized to multiple people and is being held accountable. I know it is a situation that the student wishes to take back.” To Coleman’s knowledge the student was not arrested.

These new rules and regulations are not a result of Mona Kai, but of how students acted during the event. “Changes are being made but that is not in response to Mona Kai but in response to student behavior after Mona Kai,” Coleman said. “It is not the Lancer Society or their sponsoring organization that created this mess.”

To prevent more incidents like this, Young advises students to be more conscious of their actions. “Whittier College students need to be more aware of how their actions reflect on themselves and the college as well as how it affects the surrounding community,” Young said.