Blarney Blowout

UMass Amherst students are set to return to class Monday following a drunken and rowdy “Blarney Blowout” weekend that included more than 70 arrests on or near campus. The university’s chancellor is scolding the students involved.

EARLIER: Dozens Of Arrests As UMass ‘Blarney Blowout’ Turns Unruly

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy sent an email Sunday to UMass students, faculty and staff.

“[Some students] brought shame on our fine university and run the risk of devaluing the college degree that all of our students work so hard to achieve,” Subbaswamy wrote.

Not all those arrested this weekend were students, but those who were will face consequences, Subbaswamy said. He promised “swift action” to address violations of the school’s Code of Student Conduct.

Subbaswamy also addressed the impact such a weekend has on the school’s often strained relationship with the residents – and the town – of Amherst.

Four Amherst police officers received minor injuries Saturday. The “Blarney Blowout” last year also led to arrests, although are fewer than this year.

That will all no doubt be a topic of conversation Tuesday evening, at a previously scheduled meeting of the Town-Gown Steering Committee. The panel is tasked with coming up with a plan for Amherst and UMass to work together on housing and economic development.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Police have arrested more than 40 people participating in the pre-St. Patrick’s Day “Blarney Blowout” around the University of Massachusetts’ flagship campus in Amherst.

Four police officers were hurt as they worked to disperse hundreds of unruly students who were throwing beer cans and bottles at police on Saturday as large crowds gathered at an off-campus apartment complex, according to the Amherst police department. The officers did not require serious medical attention.

Police from the city, university and state troopers in riot gear converged on the crowds around noon. The Republican in Springfield reported that the police began to march toward the crowd firing paintball-style guns loaded with pepper spray after students began setting off fireworks.

Most of the people in custody have been charged with failing to disperse.

“It is extremely disturbing and unsafe. Perhaps one of the worst scenes we have ever had with drunkenness and unruliness,” Amherst Police Capt. Jennifer Gundersen told The Republican. “It is extremely upsetting. It is very dangerous.”

UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski said university police arrested three people, none of which were students. In a statement, the school “denounced the unruly behavior” and noted that the crowds “occurred for the most part off campus.”

“[S]tudents arrested by Amherst Police or UMass Police will have the details of their behavior reviewed by the Dean of Students under the Student Code of Conduct,” the statement said. “Sanctions can include suspension or expulsion from the university.”

The university said it reached out to students, landlords, parents, faculty and staff this week to “communicate the importance of students acting safely and respecting the property of others.”

New England Public Radio’s Sam Hudzik contributed.