BU president thanks students for cooperation at ‘Block Party’
Law enforcement officers on horses at 2022 'Block Party' on Fetterman Avenue. Credit: Catherine Rose
“Block Party” returned to Fetterman Avenue this past Saturday, April 23. Opposed to what is normally a weekend full of citations, arrests and trash, this year’s event was relatively tame.
Bloomsburg University President Dr. Bashar Hanna sent students an email Monday afternoon in appreciation of their behavior over the weekend.
“Thank you for your cooperation this past ‘Block Party’ weekend. While this is a non-sanctioned event and we discourage student participation, those who participated followed the guidelines BU and the Town of Bloomsburg put in place to keep everyone safe,” wrote Dr. Hanna.
The university president then compared data on from the last ‘Block Party’ to the weekend’s. In 2019, law enforcement issued 196 citations. This year—the first full-blown ‘Block Party’ in three years—they issued only 16, which Dr. Hanna called a “dramatic drop.”
While he did not say how many BU students received a citation of the 16 preliminarily reported, Dr. Hanna noted “[f]rom prior experience, we know that many of those cited are non-BU students who do not share the same regard you do for the community we all call home.”
Dr. Hanna stated his pride for his students, many of which either did not participate in the non-sanctioned event or did so responsibly:
“The low number of citations are a positive demonstration to the Town that our students act responsibly and with civility. I am thankful for your cooperation in being good neighbors, and I want to also thank those who took time on Sunday to go out and help with the cleanup of the areas of Town where the party took place.”
