After police released staggering figures in the wake of fake Western homecoming events over the weekend, university officials are expressing disappointment.
“In the actions of some of our students they don’t represent the values that we aspire to so, in that respect, it is disappointing,” vice provost John Doerksen told AM980.
“We are situated in the London community, our students — they’re Western students — but they’re also citizens of London. So our hope would be for all of us and for students to be good neighbours in that context.”
Saturday’s events drew a crowd of roughly 11,000 people to the Broughdale Avenue area, according to city police.
Officers say they issued nearly 1,000 warnings and responded to seven drug overdoses and seven traumatic injuries.
Students are facing criticism for being belligerent and disrespectful, but some are making an effort to make amends.
A GoFundMe page by Maya Bielecki has raised over $1000 as of Wednesday afternoon to replace a trampled garden, planted by the late husband of an elderly woman affectionately known as the ‘Broughdale Grandma.’
The students plan to replant her garden on Thursday and also hope to eventually install a fence to avoid future incidents.