City Prepares for Student Welcoming Event

In an effort to foster a more harmonious relationship between University of Maryland students, police and the city of College Park, these disparate groups are uniting to hold a Welcome Back Students event on Sept. 2 in the parking lot of City Hall.

A planning committee comprised of representatives from the Prince George's County Police department, the University of Maryland Police, the city of College Park and University of Maryland's Student Government Association have been meeting for weeks to plan an event that will appeal to everyone in the community, regardless of their affiliation, said the county police department's Maj. Robert Liberati. He said he hopes that the event will help act as a salve to some old wounds between students and police.

"We had some incidences last year between students and police on Route 1,  and we believe such an event will help prevent that," he said. "We also want to use it as a tool to break down barriers between the community and students. We want the students to know that the city of College Park is their community."

Committee members anticipate a full roster of entertainment to accompany the event. Big names like University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen and basketball coach Gary Williams have been asked to make appearances. Bands are scheduled entertain the crowds, including the police department's Rhythm and Blues band, and various area merchants are contributing gift certificates, which will be given away at the event through raffles and to winners of trivia question contests.

The parking lot of City Hall was selected for the site of the event because of its proximity to the center of late-night activity in the city, said Robert Ryan, the director of public service for the city. A number of College Park's most popular restaurants, for example, are within a few blocks of city hall, he said.

"The community is providing the facility and will help in the cleanup and advertising, and the University of Maryland Student Government Association will get the students to come," he said.

David Mitchell, UMPD's chief of police and director of the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety, added that his department as well as the Prince George's County police will use the event to engage students in a "non-enforcement type of environment."

They will also disseminate information concerning safety issues that are of concern to students. For example, Mitchell pointed out that most crimes are committed in College Park during the hours of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. He said that he wanted the students to know about this and other issues to assure their safety.

The event will be the first of its kind, Liberati said, and could become an annual occurrence depending on the turnout. He hopes hundreds of students will attend and anticipates lots of interaction between the communities - students, police and city officials alike.