Some dorms are earning rowdy reputations in the first few weeks of school.
The University of Arizona Police Department filed more than 110 reports on incidents occurring in residence halls between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1. Common violations, including public assists, narcotics violations, minors in possession and larceny together accounted for 91 of the incidents.
Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall leads as the dorm with the greatest number of these common violations. Police reported 27 of such incidents at the dorm, according to a Daily Wildcat analysis of UAPD’s daily activity log. Incidents in the 500-person hall, accounted for nearly 30 percent of the total.
The new residence halls take second and third place. Likins Hall followed with 12 of these common incidents while Árbol de la Vida Residence Hall, an honors dorm, had nine. The population capacity for those halls is 369 and 719 students, respectively.
Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life, said the types of incidents that normally occur in honors dorms are different than non-honors ones and there typically are not as many issues.
Van Arsdel also said there tends to be a great deal of variation in on-campus incidents from year to year at particular residence halls, and that it would be inaccurate to draw significant conclusions from one year’s worth of results.
Joe Bermudez, a UAPD crime prevention officer, said the higher incident counts at larger dorms do not present a concern to UAPD. The difference between halls is based largely on the size of the student population, he said.
“It’s basically the same ratio,” he said.
John Stuhlmann, a political science freshman, said some of his hallmates in Arizona-Sonora might have chosen the dorm for its reputation.
“The woman who gave me a campus tour said the rooms were huge,” Stuhlmann said. “She didn’t tell me it was a party dorm.”
Stuhlmann said he saw four police cars parked outside recently.
“It is (a party dorm) for sure,” Stuhlmann said. “There’s alcohol, partying, vandalism, possession.”
Some students avoid halls labeled “party dorms” when choosing where to live on campus.
“I don’t want to be part of that,” said Jason Leuer, a chemical engineering sophomore who lives in Skyview Apartments.
Leuer said he heard Coronado Residence Hall, which is closed this year, was known for partying.
UAPD does not base its staffing on where violations occur the most, according to Bermudez. Each dorm has a liaison officer to give safety presentations and help resident assistants with walkthroughs while larger dorms have two officers.
“They go there to be a resource,” Bermudez said.
Alcohol and narcotics violations, as well as property crimes, are common each year in residence halls, according to Bermudez. UAPD has given 15 minor in possession citations and had 21 narcotics violations in dorms so far this semester.
Public assists, which accounted for 50 of the incidents, can include helping people with directions as well as checking on students whose parents cannot make contact with them or who are sick after consuming alcohol.
“They might be unresponsive,” Bermudez said. “We check their welfare.”
Van Arsdel said he does not understand why students drink or do drugs in the dorm, particularly when chances are good they will be caught.
“All of that is really sad to me,” he said.
UAPD handles the enforcement of criminal violations. They can cite and release students as well as refer them to the Dean of Students Office.
Bermudez said problems like “tailgating,” during which a non-resident enters the dorm behind a resident, can lead to problems such as larceny.
“Living in a residence hall, you need to be aware of your surroundings,” Bermudez said. “Lock your doors and don’t be afraid to challenge people who come in behind you.”
