A party at Colby on the night of March 9 ended in court summonses for 81 students, and nine other partygoers. Two Colby students were charged with furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol.
James Axelrod, 21, and Oliver Brown, 20, were arrested after a party at their rented off-campus house was broken up by a dozen local police officers around 11:45 p.m. Brown faces additional charges due to his attempt to flee the scene on foot.
In September 2011, around four dozen Colby students received summons and three individuals were arrested for furnishing minors.
“This is pretty common behavior from the Waterville police,” said one Colby student, who spoke to the Orient on the condition of anonymity. “I didn’t think the behavior was rowdier than usual.”
Colby has made efforts to improve its relationship with the city of Waterville, but “there’s definitely some tension between the two,” said the student.
The student added: “A lot of people speculate that the reason the Waterville police are so tough on students are that they see us as some sort of huge cash cow. When they bust a party, the town gets $200 per summons. Times 90 kids, it’s a lot of money.”
According to the Portland Press Herald, the Waterville Police Department has denied that it targets Colby students, as it typically deals only with off-campus issues.
Those charged will appear before court May 7.