Second melee in 2 weeks erupts at UNH

The event produced three arrests and renewed media dissection of UNH.

The altercation began when police attempted to disperse students gathered around a bonfire on a street-side lawn at 1 a.m. The mass of party-goers spilled out onto the intersection, some chanting taunts and hurling bottles at police, a situation nearly identical to the Sept. 7 riot.

This time, however, police formed a barricade of cruisers and officers on all four outlets of the intersection, holding their ground, but not aggressively dispersing the grouping. Some students sat down on the road, while others rapped cars that attempted to traverse the intersection.

Despite earlier reports that seven arrests were made, UNH Police Chief Roger Beaudoin said Monday there have only been three arrests. Two of the three arrested were UNH students, he said, and all three were charged with disorderly conduct.

Additionally, authorities videotaped the incident, so more arrests may be forthcoming, according to a UNH Police press release.

The gathering attracted curious revelers and began to thin at 2:30 a.m. as some fraternity brothers and faculty members - including President Joan Leitzel - asked people to leave.

Leitzel said Monday many students shared her impression of the melee.

"I think my reaction is similar to most of the students - totally disgusted," Leitzel said.

A small number of students were participating in the riot, while most were just onlookers, she said.

Leitzel added the university would not hesitate to suspend or even expel any aggressors involved with the incident.

Durham and UNH Police were aided by 15 nearby police departments.

Student Body President Tito Jackson and Student Body Vice President Jamie Steiger have already scheduled a students-only forum to discuss the two incidents.

"We want to get students together and deal with these issues," said Jackson.

Many students in the large grouping said the police were disrupting their gathering. "We're just trying to have a good time, and the cops are busting us," said freshman Nate Jury during the altercation. "They need to chill out. We're not causing any trouble."

The vast number of authorities - 17 departments in all - was symbolic of how police have been overly forceful, said Phil Nielson, a junior.

"It's representative of how the cops are treating this place," he said. "It used to be a fun place to party, but now it's been blown way out of proportion."

Sophomore Danielle Poulin said it seemed silly for police to herd students off the lawn and onto the intersection.

"We were on the lawn, now we're in the streets," she said. "Now we're in danger."

"They treat us like animals, we'll act like animals," said freshman Jeff Lapec.

Many Greek members blamed the melee on the strict restrictions placed on fraternities by UNH.

"The reason we're having this riot is because the university is [expletive] crunching down on the Greeks, and this is what comes of it," senior Jason Belodoff said Sunday morning. "We're going to have more riots if this keeps up."