Dalhousie students face legal backlash following homecoming street party

CTV Atlantic: Students face legal backlash after homecoming party A university’s homecoming bash set out to restore their party-ranking has left dozens of students facing legal fallout. Marie Adsett reports

After a university homecoming street party that ended in chaos, 30 people are facing charges with various offences under the Liquor Control Act and By-Law Violations.

An estimated 2,000 students flooded onto Jennings Street in Halifax at the height of the party around 12 p.m. on Saturday.

Sirens blared through the city’s south end as some students stood on the roofs of houses and others yelled profanities at authorities.

“This whole street was covered in students, super loud,” said area resident Erin Hopkins. “I live around the corner and it was nuts.”

The party was promoted on social media as a campaign to regain Dalhousie University’s partying status after the school slipped from the 10th spot to the 16th for ‘best universities to party at.’

“People like to compete so when we found out that we'd slipped I think people wanted to regain that in a big way, so they did something pretty drastic,” said one Dalhousie student.

The university had hired extra duty officers to help police in the area, but reinforcements from elsewhere in the city were needed.

"The cursing and swearing, the chanting and people got up on top of the police cars and thought it was funny taking pictures, but then those people got arrested afterwards," said Sgt. Darla Perry of the Halifax Regional Police.

Dalhousie University would not provide an interview on Sunday, saying they are still reviewing the incident.

“We're in the midst of working through our university response to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again in the future,” said Dalhousie spokesperson Brian Leadbetter in an email.

Students could now face discipline from the university, and some say they’re worried about the school’s reputation.

“Definitely don't condone that behaviour myself I don't think it's a very good representation of what Dal is,” said one student.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett.