Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day may be a day when students can take a break from rigorous class schedules and the other stresses of college life, but, for some, this holiday turns a normal day in March into one of the most stressful days of the year.
“The busy season for us starts about a month in advance, and it only picks up from there,” Sgt. Joe Ketchem, the Sgt. Of the Alcohol Enforcement Unit of the Champaign Police Department said when asked how long planning takes for what may be the University of Illinois’ largest event: Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day.
Called “Unofficial” for short, this student-formed holiday was originally used to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, a day when classes typically weren’t in session due to Spring Break, on campus. The holiday is known for massive amounts of drinking and partying on campus, and this sort of wide-spread behavior makes the job very difficult for police officers who are on duty.
“I love unofficial,” said Brad Taylor, a student who travels from Illinois State University in Bloomington, all the way to Champaign for the event. “It’s a great time to come here, meet up with friends you don’t see every day, and maybe get a little partying in before midterms come up.”
Taylor isn’t the only one who travels a great distance to come to the University for Unofficial. The News Gazette reported in 2011 that, “Of the 328 NTA’s given, only about 120 went to students at the University of Illinois.” And that “There were students ticketed from Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Colorado.”
“For Unofficial, we get support in the form of officers from police departments like parkland, the Illinois state police, University of Illinois police department, Urbana, and others,” Ketchem said. “We basically have to in order to keep up with the amount of students participating not just from the University, but from other schools also.”
“We have to start planning more than two months in advance, contacting agencies involved, and beginning to make sure we can do everything we can to make sure the event goes smoothly,” Ketchem said. “It’s all about making sure that, if this event has to happen, it can happen safely.”
“We work around the clock the entire weekend making sure that all of campus, including those partying, are safe. That’s our top priority.”
Though Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day may be some students’ favorite day of the year, they have to be on their best behavior, or face the risk of hefty fines. The city of Urbana’s website lists the fine for “Allowing a nuisance party” at $300.
Unofficial has become so popular in recent years that Ketchem, who has been an officer in Champaign for 18 years - longer than the event has existed - says that the city has had to implement some new rules. “For example, you can’t have more than one keg in a house or building. Bars can’t open until 10, when they are usually allowed to open at 7.” Another rule for the weekend is that you have to be 21 years of age to enter a bar, counter to the popular city-law where 19 year olds and older can enter the establishments, so long as they aren’t within reach of an alcoholic beverage.
Ketchem says, “If I could give one piece of advice to the students, I’d say just don’t participate. Stay in, because if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Don’t take the risk in getting caught up in anything that could jeopardize your safety, or that of those around you.”
