UCLA’s infamous Black Sunday, the first Sunday of fall
quarter before rush, is known for multiple fraternity parties.
“It has become a mythic thing where people from other
schools come down and it turns to chaos,” said Justin
Pritchard, Sigma Alpha Epsilon social chair.
As next fall quarter begins, out-of-town students may come to
UCLA hoping to enjoy two blocks of loud music, free alcohol,
thousands of students, and police officers bearing rubber bullets,
but they will arrive to a typically mellow night in the North
Village.
Last month UCLA’s Interfraternity Council voted to stop
Black Sunday for a period of three years, said Mike Liu, IFC
president.
Despite the enjoyment students have experienced during past
Black Sunday’s, many of the community members and the
Interfraternity Council alike said the decision to cancel it for
the next three years is for the best.
Second-year biology student Teresa Gill said that she has been
both years of her college career, and finds the night to be a good
opportunity to bond with new friends. When told that Black Sunday
would not exist next year, Gill said, “Fraternities will
still have parties during the year, it does not matter if it is on
Black Sunday.”
Community members are not opposing the shutdown of Black Sunday
either.
“Fraternity parties result in noise problems and trash
problems,” said Shelley Taylor, president and founder of The
North Village Improvement Committee. “And this is a time when
parties are really concentrated.”
Some fraternity members said they are thankful for the decision
because not all fraternities have benefited from Black Sunday.
Fourth-year Sigma Chi member Ryan Wagner said in years past his
house has foregone a Black Sunday party because of their proximity
to the other fraternities. Located at the most northern end of
Gayley Avenue, Sigma Chi parties have to be extravagant, which
usually means expensive, if they wish to compete with the more
centralized fraternities, Wagner said.
“It is important it was abolished. This levels the playing
field for rush. People will base choice of house by character of
people in house, not on who has the best party,” he said.
Other fraternity members and UC police department officers
expressed concerns over the growing popularity of the night.
“Crowds get too big, and students are forced out onto the
sidewalk. When the sidewalk becomes too crowded, they move into the
streets,” IFC president, Mike Liu said.
Nancy Greenstein, director of community services for UCPD, said
Black Sunday has “become a public safety risk,” and
crime increases as a result of the people the event brings into the
North Village. She said on the night of Black Sunday, UCPD
“assigns staff extra hours to prevent the crime that is
caused by the masses of students.”
Last year offense reports included: a burglary, two accounts of
vandalism, grand theft, battery, petty theft and sexual assault.
There were also nine arrests for offenses such as minors in
possession of alcohol, providing false information, and failure to
disperse, Greenstein said.
In 2001, UCPD decided to shut down parties because 2,000 to
3,000 people were obstructing traffic between 400 and 600 Gayley
Avenue, Greenstein said.
Another problem arises because the major patrons of Black Sunday
parties are UCLA freshmen who have not yet been out of their
parent’s home a week, she said.
“Lots of incoming freshmen go to parties. They have not
drunk much in the past, and they end up overindulging,” said
Greenstein.
Pritchard echoed Greenstein saying, “Freshmen are too
young to drink responsibly.” He said the night is fun, but
the “decision is for the best.”
Liu said the council, which is made up of the presidents of each
fraternity, “did not want to continue Black Sunday because of
all the trouble that goes on.”
IFC secretary Chris Cheng said that the decision was primarily
made because “Black Sunday had gotten too much exposure with
other colleges and high schools.”
“Thousands of kids who are not familiar with our (UCLA
fraternity) rules and do not respect houses come in and cause
problems,” Cheng said.
IFC considered shutting down Gayley, allowing students to hang
out in the streets without blocking traffic, said Mark Hardin, Pi
Kappa Phi president. But Hardin said the entrance to the new
emergency room is going to be on Gayley, and IFC did not want to
implement a short-term solution.
Regardless of the temporary consequences of IFC’s
decision, Black Sunday is not gone for good.
Hardin said, “Black Sunday needs to be cooled down, but it
will be brought back.”
In the meantime, IFC is considering alternate events to replace
Black Sunday. It is possible that the fraternities will pool
together their money and put on a large-scale event in the name of
the Greek system. Hardin played around with the idea of bringing a
popular band to UCLA to put on a concert in Drake Stadium.