Western University is extremely disappointed in the actions and behaviour of those who attended the street party on Broughdale Avenue on Sept. 29. This illegal gathering is dangerous for those who attend and extremely disrespectful to the people of London. It endangers the entire community by straining the resources of our police, fire department, emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals – not to mention damaging property in the immediate area.
The behaviours of those on Broughdale are incongruent with our values as a University and do not reflect school spirit. Our administration knows how terribly this situation reflects on the University and our students.
Western’s administration agrees with Chief John Pare that students and others who attend this party need to recognize the impact they are having on the community and take responsibility for their actions.
The University remains committed to working with police and our other community partners to address this event with the goal of ending it. Western’s senior administration, together with student leaders, will continue to examine every possible means available to us in accomplishing that goal.
We concur with Chief Pare’s assessment that there is no simple solution. Large parties on city streets adjacent to campus have become a problem in other cities in Canada and in the United States. Western is in contact with many individuals dealing with similar issues in an effort to share key learnings and best practices as we work to resolve this problem.
We are committed to changing the culture that leads to this unsanctioned street party. We know from other universities this can take several years to achieve. Western is proud to have supported the efforts of our student leaders, both financially and with staff resources. We will continue to work with our student leaders and our community partners to identify, develop and implement all strategies that are open to us.
Our principal concern continues to be the safety of our students and the community. We are thankful for the efforts of our police and emergency services in partnering with us to address this situation.
Western will be meeting with the University Students’ Council, London Police and our other community partners in the weeks ahead to discuss this issue and continue to strategize how we can best work together to resolve the Broughdale problem.
Western takes seriously our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our students and the London community and looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all our community partners in addressing these challenges.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Massey
Associate Vice President, Student Experience
