The spirit of St. Patrick’s Day was seen during the entire weekend with celebrations on and off Augustana’s campus for students and the Quad Cities community to enjoy.
Students were advised by the Dean of Students office to ensure their safety in celebrating the weekend.
“Serious consequences, including tickets and fines ranging from $800-$1,600 will be issued to students participating in or organizing activities that disrupt neighbors or place others at risk. Outstanding fines may prevent Augustana students from registering and/or receiving transcripts and diplomas in the future,” read an email from the Dean of Students office earlier in the week.
There were still plenty of activities for the campus to enjoy without the risk of fines or repercussions.
Students were served corn beef and cabbage, along with green St. Patrick’s Day themed desserts in the Gerber Dining Center on the Thursday before the holiday.
On Friday, the Augustana Flute Choir, Augustana flute trios and quartets, and Heart Strings, a Celtic quartet with flute, violin, guitar and a recorder/Celtic harp celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a concert free to the public in Wallenberg Hall.
Students celebrated off campus by attending the annual Quad Cities St. Patrick’s Day Parade that goes from Rock Island, across the Centennial Bridge, to Davenport, Iowa. Hundreds came out to experience the only parade in the nation that crosses two state borders.
For sophomore Jason Pacanowski, the Rock Island Dancers were the highlight of the parade, with their “drummers and some dancers in the street.”
Students were also ready to watch the Augustana Men’s Basketball team in the championship on Saturday night to celebrate the holiday weekend.
“Hopefully I’ll be watching the boys bring home the national championship, and then after that I don’t know, probably go out and drink,” Pacanowski said.
The final score for the Vikings was a loss of 78-79.
The Irish holiday gives Augustana students a reason to go out and celebrate. Sometimes these celebrations include drinking. According to Chief of Public Safety, Tom Phillis, in previous years students have been caught under the influence on campus and in the surrounding community.
Off campus, Kavanaugh’s Hilltop, located near Augustana, hosted celebrations over the weekend, including the Shamrockin-Patty-O-Pardy on Saturday. Across the river, Kelly’s Irish Pub also hosted St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Davenport, Iowa.
“Our staff is aware of the issues in the past and maintain a high visibility over the weekend. We also will have extra patrols around campus from the Rock Island Police Department,” Chief Phillis said.
According to the office of Public Safety’s dispatch log on campus Saturday morning around 4 a.m there was one incident of “vandalism to property” at Westerlin Hall. Saturday night, there were three separate incidents of “alcohol intoxication, assault, battery, criminal trespassing, and disorderly conduct,” logged at Westerlin around 9:30 p.m. There was also a logged incident of “vandalism to vehicle” around 11 p.m. at Celsius House Saturday night.