FARGO — Fargo police issued at least 40 citations after being called to investigate a loud party Friday night, Sept. 25, near the North Dakota State University campus, but a school official said Monday such incidents, overall, have been fewer this school year as students have largely answered the call to be COVID-19 careful.
"In general, we're seeing less student conduct activity than we would in a normal semester," said Laura Oster-Aaland, vice provost for student affairs and enrollment management at NDSU.
Oster-Aaland said school officials have sent strong messages to students letting them know the school needs their help in the fight against COVID-19 and by and large, she said, students are rising to the occasion.
"We're really impressed with our students," she said. "There was a lot of concern before the school year began ... will they wear their face coverings in class? Will they comply? And they really have. We're just pleased that they are being part of the solution," Oster-Aaland added.
In Friday's incident, Fargo police were called to the 1900 block of Dakota Drive North around 11:20 p.m., where officers found a large party in progress at an apartment complex.
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Tenants involved with the party at first did not cooperate with officers, but the gathering was eventually dispersed by about a dozen Fargo police officers with assistance from campus police, according to a post on the Fargo Police Department Facebook page.
The post said 40 citations were issued for loud party and most of the party attendees were cited for being minors under the influence of alcohol. Three were arrested for resisting and taken to the Cass County Jail because they attempted to flee on foot, according to the Facebook post.
Oster-Aaland said details about Friday's party will likely make their way to campus officials and some students could face consequences.
In many such cases, she said, education is often a major component of any sanctions taken.
"We want them to learn from their experience," she said.
"Maybe they'll need to take a class on alcohol abuse. Maybe they will write a paper on alcohol abuse. The consequences can vary depending on the severity of that offense, she added.
In response to COVID-19, NDSU is currently operating under a hybrid-flexible model, or HyFlex, for short.
As part of that model, nearly every classroom has technology that allows for instruction to be virtual or in-person, depending on what the student or instructor chooses, Oster-Aaland said.
