OBSERVER file photo Crowds traditionally make their way to Canadaway Street in Fredonia for the unofficial event.

State University of New York at Fredonia won’t be able to provide an alternative to “Not Fred Fest” this year, Fredonia Police Chief David Price reported this month.

However, the chief was confident that a team effort by local first responders will help soften the blow from this year’s edition of the university’s unofficial spring party day.

Price spoke to the Fredonia Board of Trustees about the second meeting of a “Not Fred Fest” committee that Mayor Michael Ferguson put together to cut the craziness.

“I think there was an agreement that something needs to change, this campus would like to work toward change and try and resolve some of those issues. That was the good,” Price said. “The bad is, it’s too late to do anything this year. They don’t have any funding set aside this year, there’s no way of putting funding together or making plans this year. I will work through that with local law enforcement.

Ferguson said he thinks “communication from students to students is important. It’s probably the best it will be, and hopefully that puts a damper on some of what we have to deal with this year.”

Price responded, “Honestly, this has been a really good year as far as matters (related to) students and the campus. I can sit here and honestly say, over 90% of what my department does is not campus related anymore.”

He soon added, “The problem with (Not) Fred Fest is, the students we do deal with, they’re at the end of the semester, they’ve taken the attitude of, ‘I’m done, there’s not much you can do to me.’ Frankly, the ones causing the trouble, they’re not like (students) we met … who will be leaders in this community or any community they are part of.

“The intent is not to get out of control,” Price continued. “But with social media, word of mouth, we get people from outside our community who come here for numerous reasons — and they’re the ones we end up dealing with, because they don’t come here with a place to go, they congregate, and we have several streets in this community congested with multi-use housing and they literally take over the streets.

“There were a lot of student ideas that really took shape at the table. I believe the president (Stephen Kolison) listened. I think the idea is to find something for them to do on campus that week of school before exams.”

Ferguson commented the problem causers are people that “sororities, fraternities invite to the community that aren’t here to make new friends. They’re here for customers.”

Price and Ferguson were both highly complimentary of assistance coming from outside Fredonia. They lauded the turnout for the Not Fred Fest Committee; the panel includes Dunkirk and Fredonia first responders (police and fire), SUNY Fredonia officials and student leaders, and representatives of county and state police agencies.

“There is cooperation amongst area law enforcement,” Price said. “We’ve never started discussion about (Not) Fred Fest this early in my career. There will be a very large police presence that weekend.”

Ferguson suggested landlords monitor their properties that weekend and remind students about rules and regulations.

“Fred Fest” was a SUNY Fredonia-sponsored spring music festival that got cancelled around a decade ago in part over troublemaking by attendees. The spring weekend partying has simply moved off campus in an occurrence wryly dubbed “Not Fred Fest.”