Town and gown were united this week in deploring the rash of street fires and violent altercations that broke out in a student-dominated section of Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday night after West Virginia University’s football victory over the University of Texas.
James P. Clements, president of WVU, prefaced his annual State of the University speech on Monday afternoon with comments about the incidents, saying that “the worst of the postgame behavior Saturday night was completely unacceptable, dangerous, and inexcusable” and that the university was “taking immediate action to identify and discipline any students involved.”
“We are serious about addressing this problem,” Mr. Clements said, noting that in the past year 40 WVU students had been expelled or suspended for behavior violations.
Jim Manilla, mayor of Morgantown, is also getting serious about what he sees as increasingly out-of-control postgame parties, according to reports by the Charleston Daily Mail and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The city needs extra police officers and firefighters to deal with the problem, the mayor said on Sunday, and he is considering asking the City Council to assess an “impact fee” on students to help bear the cost. Mr. Manilla said he would also like to see the university immediately expel any student who sets fire or is violent.
