Alcohol and riots
        When groups of individuals with reduced inhibitions and impaired judgment and decision-making skills assemble, the outcomes can sometimes be unpredictable and unfortunate. For some reason unknown to me, riots on college campuses seem to have become more common. Indeed, some see it as a new fad, akin to swallowing goldfish in the 1930s. Unlike campus riots seen in the late 1960s and early 1970s, most riots these days are not tied to any political or important social agenda. Students seem to riot for the sake of rioting. They are just as likely to do so when their college teams win as when they lose. I was once at a University where students rioted because the bars closed an hour early due to daylight savings time.
       Students involved in these riots leave a path of property destruction, physical injury, and damaged school egos in their wake. The cost in terms of overtime for law enforcement alone can be staggering. Police and fire departments are often stretched so thin that, in the aftermath, officials acknowledge they would have had trouble dealing with other major emergencies had they occurred.
       Below are a series of images clipped from recent news stories about riots on college campuses. Use the buttons on the circular controller to advance the images.  Clicking on the button on the far right will let you view the articles in an automatic slide show.  Streaming video of the riots at OSU can be found at the website for Channel 4 in Columbus, OH (click the image below).