UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is working closely with State College Borough to ramp-up safety measures with the hope of reducing excessive drinking and other negative impacts associated with State Patty’s Day, a student-created drinking event. State Patty’s Day is expected to take place Feb. 24-26.

The State College Police Department will be working with Penn State University Police and Public Safety, Pennsylvania State Police, and other local police departments to maintain a strong police presence throughout the weekend.

In a memo sent to members of the State College Tavern Owners Association on Feb. 15, State College Borough Manager Tom Fountaine and Penn State Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Andrea Dowhower asked that State Patty’s Day be treated like any other weekend, with no drink specials, no extended hours, no themed promotions, and no other activities that could add to the problems this annual event causes.

“By taking active steps to discourage participation in this event, we might discourage the most problematic behaviors seen in years past,” said Fountaine. “We must do all we can collectively to reduce high-risk and dangerous drinking that results in strain on the MNMC and the Emergency Department, University and Borough police resources, and our EMS workers, and the significant negative impacts on so many of our community members, both students and long-term residents.”

In addition to increased law enforcement, the University and the borough have created the following safety measures to minimize dangerous activities:

• Greek-letter organizations have been asked to voluntarily limit social events with alcohol at their facilities throughout the weekend.
• The University’s residence halls will limit guests to one per room for the weekend.
• Off-campus property managers will be notified of these events and will have extra staff on hand to patrol their properties and quickly report illegal activities to police.

Any Penn State student charged with violations during the weekend, including violations that occur either on or off campus, will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response for appropriate disciplinary action. Local guidelines, including Penn State’s Responsible Action Protocol and Pennsylvania's Medical Amnesty Law, protect students from prosecution for consumption or possession of alcohol when they seek help for a peer who is passed out, unconscious or unresponsive as the result of over-consumption.

“State Patty’s has a tendency to present challenges for our community and at Penn State, we want to do everything in our power to mitigate those challenges,” said Andrea Dowhower, interim vice president for Student Affairs. “We want our community to remain as safe as possible during this weekend and every weekend. We hope that Penn Staters and the surrounding area will join us to combat the disruptive and damaging consequences we have seen in the past because of State Patty’s Day.”