This weekend is the most infamous fest in Athens: Palmerfest.
So it is understandable that this past week has seen marches, meetings, messages and campaigns to educate students about partying safely.
Ohio University’s “Be smart. Be civil. Be safe.” campaign is very pragmatic. Rather than discourage students from attending fests, OU is taking the rational route of caution.
The campaign’s posters read, “What happens in Athens, stays on (insert website here),” which is an intelligent warning to students. Employers, nowadays, are searching the Internet for anything that would reflect poor judgment on their prospective employees’ parts.
There is nothing wrong with having fun, but students need to respect their fellow students and Athens residents. We agree with OU’s message to be smart, civil and safe, and students should abide by the motto for the rest of fest season.
Both the Athens and OU police departments also deserve recognition for the Pizza with the Police event Wednesday. They picked the right time and place to encourage students to take care this weekend should they partake in Palmerfest.
But we do have some recommendations for the police: closing the street and bringing in officers on horseback to patrol if necessary. Palmer Street needs to be closed from the start to ensure students’ safety. If the street is open, cars will try to drive through the crowd of students and someone could get hurt.
Should things get out of hand, officers on horseback are the best way to clear the street quickly and safely. The longer it takes to clear the street, the more likely someone will get hurt.
The only qualms we have with recent messages about the fests are aimed at emails from several deans. A form letter was sent to the students of several OU colleges. Some discouraged students completely from attending any fests; others slightly modified the wording to advise students to be careful but also have fun.
The latter email sent the right message by understanding that students will go to the fests. A simple caution, not an admonition, is the best way for OU to ensure students behave safely and smartly.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
