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Coronado keeps rep as 'party dorm'


By Holly Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 1, 2005
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School has started and already the citations are flying, at least in Coronado Residence Hall.

Since students moved into the dorms, Coronado has had more alcohol- and drug-related arrests than any other on-campus residence.

Students and officials speculate the hall's large size and party reputation are the reasons behind the violations.

Between Aug. 17 and Sunday police responded to 13 drug- and alcohol-related incidents in the dorms, according to University of Arizona Police Department reports.

Seven of those incidents took place in Coronado, reports stated.

Dave Wietecha, coordinator for judicial affairs at Residence Life, said they have dealt with 39 alcohol violations and six drug-related violations during that same time period.

Residence Life has recorded more incidents because resident assistants often deal with violations internally and do not call UAPD, Wietecha said.

Wietecha said they have not kept track of which hall has had the most incidents so far.

But during the previous school year, Coronado topped the list with the most alcohol and drug violations, according to Residence Life records.

Wietecha said he thinks the reason that Coronado is frequently the leading offender when it comes to violations is because Coronado has twice as many students as most dorms.

Another reason could be Coronado's reputation for being the party hall on campus, Wietecha said.

"People know about Coronado when they come to campus. It's unlike any other school I've been to," he said. " I don't know how it gets around, but it seems to get passed down year after year."

Undeclared freshman Josh Biletsky, a resident of Coronado, said students come to the dorm expecting to find a party.

"When you get 900 people living together, there's bound to be something going on," he said.

Biletsky said there seem to be more cops hanging out at Coronado than at other dorms.

UAPD spokesman Sgt. Eugene Mejia said police don't patrol the area more often, but said police may end up there because Coronado is mostly made up of freshmen.

"Our most frequent contact is with freshmen," he said. "Incoming freshmen are often not familiar with the rules or want to stretch the rules as much as they can."

Pre-business freshman Kathryn Kulesa, a resident of Coronado, said freshman do seem to party more.

"They're not used to being supervised so they go crazy in the beginning," she said.

Because of the number of students, Coronado does have more security measures in place than most dorms, Wietecha said.

It has the only front desk that is open 24 hours a day. Residents are also required to sign in all guests on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Coronado also has 24 RAs, which is more than any other dorm, Wietecha said.

Mejia said RAs have a certain responsibility to address violations, even if they are minor.

Mejia said police are usually not called unless drugs are involved or a student is acting aggressively.

RAs are trained and know which situations to handle themselves and when to call police, Mejia said.

Wietecha said he could not comment on whether any of the alcohol- or drug-related incidents have resulted in students getting evicted.

But when a student is found with drugs, he or she is generally evicted after getting caught the first time, Wietecha said.

Students caught drinking are generally diverted to the Dean of Students Office, and if UAPD is called they may also receive a citation for underage drinking, Wietecha said.

"It's something we promote heavily. Students sign an agreement. They know what the consequences are and that drugs can result in an eviction," Wietecha said.

Wietecha said the staff at Coronado is trying to dispel the myth that Coronado is the party dorm on campus, but he said the reputation is hard to overcome.



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