Responsible Fan Behavior at UMass Amherst

Those students who engage in riotous actions that endanger themselves and others are almost always fueled by alcohol consumption.

Each year in the U.S., college drinking causes:

1,700 student deaths
599,000 unintentional injuries
696,000 assaults
79,000 sexual assaults

At UMass Amherst, 93% of students believe that excessive alcohol use is a problem on campus because it interferes with academics, safety, quality of life, and social relationships. Most students who choose to drink do so in moderation, having four or fewer drinks when they party. Most students, 81%, have no tolerance for alcohol-related violence, wanting stricter penalties for students who engage in violent acts.

The Code of Student Conduct and Your Responsibility to Uphold It

Students who participate in riotous behavior or failed to disperse when ordered will be sanctioned under the Code of Student Conduct. These sanctions ranged from University probation up to and including immediate expulsion from the University.

Over the past four years, over 145 students have been sanctioned for their participation in riotous behavior on this campus, up to and including suspension and expulsion from the University.

Students should familiarize themselves with the Code of Student Conduct which is printed in the Academic Daily Planner. Behavior that endangers the safety of persons (self or others) or property or inciting others to engage in such behavior will not be tolerated. Participants will be subject to arrest and will be held accountable under the Code of Student Conduct.

In addition to University sanctions, students who are arrested will also be processed through the criminal Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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