Large party at Deerfield Apartments disbanded by police
Screenshot of Twitter video from Gordon Meier.
Central Michigan University students gathered in a parking lot at Deerfield Village Apartments last night for a party that rivaled Welcome Weekend parties of the past.
Officers from the city and campus police departments were at the scene to monitor the gathering and eventually disbanded the crowd before midnight.
Grand Blanc junior Gordon Meier documented the incident with his video camera. The footage posted to his twitter shows dozens of people walking around the apartment complex as bright lights from police cruisers flash in the background.
Meier guesses there were more than 100 people gathered outside the apartment complex.
"It was very anxiety-inducing. Pretty much everyone was grouped together," Meier said. "When I came around there were two campus police cars with their lights on making their presence known, probably telling people to leave."
Meier was disappointed in the student body and their disregard for the health and safety protocols at CMU.
"From last weekend's partying and the small in-person gatherings that are going on -- I went to one in-person class so far and that will be the last one I go to," Meier said.
CMU Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Tony Voisin sent an email to students today saying the university will penalize partying and other large gatherings. The email did not clarify if it was in direct response to last night's party.
"We will not allow the actions of a few individuals to jeopardize others, and we will immediately fine, or even suspend, individuals who host or attend large gatherings," Voisin said in the email.
The University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University both announced on Tuesday that they would be conducting their semesters online to limit the spread of COVID-19.
"Without fail, at other institutions nationwide, large weekend parties have resulted in an increase in positive COVID-19 diagnoses — and in some, the shutdown of their entire campuses," Voisin's email read. "The actions of a few selfish students have ruined an entire year for thousands of their peers. The same will happen here at CMU if students continue to engage in this type of reckless, irresponsible behavior."
