La Crosse-area police officers and paramedics experienced a huge spike in work-related activity during Oktoberfest responding to drunken festers and unruly mobs.

  According to reports, paramedics logged in an extra 204 hours between 6 a.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Sunday, while officers rushed to the scenes of riot-like incidents during part of their scheduled time off.  

One of the two main disturbances occurred mid-afternoon Saturday, Sept. 24  on Vine Street. It consisted of a group of young adults flinging around full cans and bottles of alcohol and even the carcass of a squirrel.  The second incident, which happened later that same night, involved another rowdy crowd damaging three cars, upturning one of them.  Both of these uprisings required police attention immediately.

Although it can be concluded that many of the participants in these scandals are in fact students of UW-La Crosse, the culprits may very well be visitors from other schools as well.

"A number of the people who tended to violate the policies were guests from other institutions and they come into campus thinking, ‘Well, there's nothing you can do to me because I'm not a student here,'" Dr. Nick Nicklaus, director of Residence Life, said.

On campus, several other small incidents transpired on Sept.23 and 24, causing some residents of Angell and Hutchinson to become irritated.

"People were getting sick and making messes everywhere on all four floors," freshman Taylor Wheeler said. "I understand people want to enjoy themselves during Oktoberfest, but some people went way past their limits, alcohol-wise."

Unfortunately, substantial amounts of alcohol inevitably led to sickness and even hospitalization for UW-L students during these two infamous weekends.  Saturday  Sept. 24  alone saw at least four individuals taken in for detoxification. The popular tradition of drinking from early in the morning until possibly the next day has much to do with this.

This year marked the first that the chaos near campus overshadowed that of the Maple  Leaf Parade, where various La Crosse residents and visitors from all over the nation gather each year.  Events on campus even outdid the happenings in the downtown area, a difficult feat to attain, considering thousands of people congregate at the multiple bars, apartments and other attractions.

The unexpected magnitude of violence and intoxication that accompanied this year's Oktoberfest has compelled La Crosse area authorities to begin thinking of precautions that will surely be needed next year.

One major adjustment that most likely will be in effect for next year is the institution of ambulances within close proximity to the university where paramedics will be on hand, ready for any alcohol-related or other dangerous situations that may occur.  This is not to say that this will make it easier for students to get out of hand since an emergency contact will be very close, but it should make students feel, at the very least, safer and more in control of the somewhat hectic environment surrounding them.