Purdue students riot, police deploy tear gas on students
Purdue Exponent Staff Reports
Purdue students lit fires, turned over a car and broke windows after Purdue lost to Notre Dame Sunday night in the women's basketball national championship game.
Students used a flaming Notre Dame shirt to start one fire. In the Northwestern Parking Garage, revelers turned over a Mercedes. They also broke windows in stores and campus buildings.
Capt. Ron Fosnaugh of the Purdue Police Department said about 2,000 students gathered in the Village, but students also gathered in large numbers throughout campus. Fosnaugh also said police made eight arrests, ranging from disorderly conduct to bomb making.
The revelry started at Cary Quadrangle and moved to the west side of campus and Slayter Center, then back through various parts of campus. Many fires started in trash bins and on pieces of furniture that had been pulled into the street.
Police deployed tear gas when groups of students failed to disperse.
Students ran through campus, covering their eyes and mouths with paper towels, shirts, jackets and their hands to protect themselves from the tear gas.
They could be seen coughing, spitting, crying and cursing. They also clapped to the beat of the batons police tapped against their boots.
Fosnaugh said the tear gas ran out and had to be restocked throughout the night.
Eric Fobes, a freshman in the School of Agriculture, was upset that police used tear gas.
"I'd like to throw tear gas at the cops; the tear gas burns your eyes and your throat," he said. "It really sucks."
Fosnaugh said that windows of Engineering Administration Building and Materials and Electrical Engineering Building were broken. Richard Byers, building services/grounds general manager general, said Social Services Annex and the American Railway Building also had broken windows. The windows of several businesses in the Village were also broken.
Students attempted to push over a white University van but were unsuccessful. They then moved to a University mail truck and a smaller black university van, but they were again unsuccessful.
Fosnaugh said there is no dollar amount on the damage yet.
Fosnaugh said the disturbances broke up at 1:15 on Monday morning.
Nathal Dusai, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering, said he joined the crowd because he wanted to participate.
"I'm not pissed that we lost; I'm just happy to riot," he said
Brian Brown, a senior in School of Agriculture, said he expected the disturbance. "I was here last time this happened so I was pretty sure it was going to happen again."
Students used music to accentuate their mood. At one fraternity house, students played "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit.
And at Cary Quadrangle, "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel entertained the crowd.
Jim Bartela, a freshman in the School of Technology, said he thought the fact that students gathered in the streets after the game was good.
"Even though there's destruction of the town, it's a great way to get people together, to help celebrate the basketball team."
All News Stories for Monday, April 2, 2001
