Amid a recent uptick in event monitoring, the Buffalo Valley Regional Police shut down a weekly “Super Saturday” party on Sept. 21, citing five houses for violating the Lewisburg social gathering ordinance.

The citations were the result of two consecutive noise complaints. Officers responded to the first noise complaint at 10:20 a.m. and issued a warning to the downtown houses. When a second complaint was called in at 1:22 p.m., formal citations were issued to the five houses hosting social events. The citations prohibit downtown houses from registering parties for 30 days.

“Problems arise when the off-campus student population begins to conduct themselves with loud music, large crowds of students, underage consumption of alcohol, etc. This causes nearby areas of the community to be disturbed and complaints get called in,” Buffalo Valley Chief of Police Paul Yost said.

The Lewisburg social gathering ordinance classifies a downtown party as a “regulated social gathering,” typically attended by more than 75 people where alcohol is usually served. Parties must follow the regulations outlined in the ordinance, such as obtaining a permit and ensuring that events begin after 10:00 a.m. and end by 1:00 a.m. Yet, this contract also grants Buffalo Valley the authority to “monitor and assess the premises from time to time.”

Many students have expressed frustrations over the higher level of monitoring at this semester’s downtown events. “I feel like it was very targeted and everyone didn’t expect it to happen. I surely didn’t expect it. I hope that doesn’t continue because that would ruin a lot of the social aspect of Bucknell,” Gabby Kessel ’21 said.

“Buffalo Valley Regional Police Officers are more than tolerant of some violations, especially as it relates to the consumption of alcohol by minors. However, if violations are directly observed as the result of a call, arrests will be made,” Yost said.

“There has been no change in our policy or regulations,” Yost said. “We will continue to monitor the off-campus areas and respond to community complaints and violations.”