By Rachel Makabi
Daily Bruin Reporter
Westwood Village is lacking the loud and rowdy behavior that
characterized previous years in the week leading up to the UCLA-USC
football game, according to university police and community
members.
While students and residents say they are quieter because of the
faltering football season, UCPD and some local bar employees
attribute the change to the Sept. 11 attacks.
“People have their energy focused somewhere else this
year,” said UCPD assistant chief Karl Ross. “Many
people feel that this is not a time to pull any pranks.”
The greater visibility of police around campus and the fact that
officers have been responding to all calls with more urgency have
deterred potential pranksters from vandalizing buildings and the
Bruin Bear, as was common in previous years, Ross said.
UCPD will not have increased security on Saturday ““ game
day ““ because it has already been on the highest level of
alert since Sept. 11, Ross said.
Laura McLeod, general manager for Westwood Brewing Co., said she
has noticed less tension in the bar this year than in previous
years, but she will still bring in an extra security guard on game
night to ensure safety.
“With what is going on in the world right now, people will
be pretty decent ““ or at least I hope they will be,”
McLeod said.
Brian Rutberg, a bartender at Maloney’s on Campus, said
his bar has not had any problems recently, nor does he expect any
on game night.
“I haven’t seen it getting louder this week or on
previous game-nights,” Rutberg said.
Many Westwood residents and students agree the village is
quieter this year, but they don’t believe it is in response
to the Sept. 11 attacks.
“The reason it is so quiet is because our football team is
so terrible,” said Yuni Kim, a second-year history student.
“Especially because USC’s football team is also not
doing so great, the game is not going to be so exciting.”
Shelley Taylor, managing director for the North Village
Improvement Company, said that in years when the Bruin team was
winning, the village was a lot louder, and more acts of vandalism
occurred.
In order to facilitate school spirit while preventing crimes,
Taylor said the university should have more organized events, such
as the Homecoming Parade it had in the ’60s.