VIDEOS: College Fest from a Student Journalist's Point of View
Photographer uses GoPro personal camera to capture closure of College Avenue
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College Fest 2012
Philip Botta, a student at Kent State University and member of the Daily Kent Stater staff, used a GoPro camera to document his coverage of the "College Fest" events on East College Avenue Saturday, April 21, 2012. Warning: these videos contain graphic language; viewer discretion is advised.
Videos (4)
Videos
The proliferation of smart phones makes everyone clutching one of these devices an unwitting journalist.
A simple search on YouTube garners dozens of results from people who captured a few seconds to several minutes of the atmosphere on East College Avenue on Saturday.
So what exactly is College Fest? If the images captured are an accurate description, it's nothing more than drinking, fighting, dancing, shouting and stripping.
In perhaps the most dramatic video, a photographer for the Daily Kent Stater, Philip Botta, straps on a GoPro camera and documents his coverage of the event.
Warning: these videos contain graphic language. Viewer discretion is advised.
Were you at "College Fest?"
Tell us in the comments.
Pat
8:17 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
This reporter for the Stater better clean up his mouth before he gets a real job. I resent the fact that my tax dollars had to police the drunks on College Street and then also pay for the Metro SWAT team and other police agencies. Kent State should have demanded that the students clean up their mess on Sunday than have the city of Kent pay for it. I am looking forward to the students being gone for the summer.
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Earl Elevant
12:17 am on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Heh.
Was nice seeing the future welfare recipients of America get hit with tear gas for being such d-bags.
Elliott Ingersoll
11:07 am on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
So I don't get it - were the students throwing the equivalent of cherry bombs? Why were they chanting "USA" (or did I misunderstand them)? The whole thing seemed pretty pointless. Why was the camera operator so rattled? Maybe you had to be there...
Tony Monaco
2:48 pm on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
I covered part of last year's much tamer College Fest, and even that was crazy. Phil got hit in the hand by a beer bottle early in the video and was probably using pretty expensive equipment. Also, there was tear gas.
sally
3:27 pm on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The only good thing about "Drunk Fest" is it means that soon the majority of these immature, self-centered "children" will soon be leaving. I'm guessing that end of summer parties in their respective home towns, won't involve destroying and littering their parents properties to the rousing taunts of "USA" (which makes absolutely no sense - even for a bunch of drunks) or the ever eloquent "suck my dick" and "fuck you." It's for sure their hometowns won't have to use their parents tax dollars to disperse and clean up after them.
Maybe, we should position council members at all the dorms while students are moving out at the end of each spring semester, to allocate and collect $20 from each one, to be deposited and held in a "Clean-Up Fest" Fund for the following year. To their anticipated whiney protests... Yes, it IS fair, because everyone, including you- needs to be reminded that your actions, and/or your complaisant attitude towards the actions of your friends, have consequences - and in this case - someone has to pay for those consequences and it's time you (students) foot that bill!
Or maybe they might better grasp the concept of "what one does affects everyone" - if a large gathering of locals, threw a dorm to dorm "party" during finals week? We can call it, the How Do You Like It - Fest!
Bottom line, College Fest isn't going to go away. This means, we need to come up with a plan of accountability for the students, as well as find a way to recoup the costs.
Jack Kelly
8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Uhh...so, how is it fair for ALL students living on-campus to pay for all of those who were at this "college fest" again?
I'd "whine" too -- and direct you to the nearest sandbox so you can grab some sand and pound it if you think I'm going to pay for something I (not "I" personally) that I was not even at/around.
sally
11:08 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Uhh...I personally, wasn't even at/around "college fest" either, but it's MY tax dollar (and all city residents) that will pay for the safety forces and the clean up - every year.
As a taxpayer, I know that some of my money supports programs/services that I "personally" don't use. But, and this is a big BUT - I do NOT feel that college fest is one of those programs/services!
College Fest is nothing more than a big (drunken) blow out party - promoted by students (granted not all) that consistently - requires the safety forces being called in and consistently requires "clean-up" by city workers.
So, if it holds that part of my tax dollar goes towards city services that I don't personally utilize - how is it "unfair" to expect less of the student body community?
The $20 amount was merely a "supposition." Realistically, a $1.00 per student, per academic year would suffice (less that what a great number of students spend on a latte - a day) to- consistently - recoup the costs to the city.
As for the "pound sand" theoretical remark - Nice. Maybe all the city residents should just "short" their taxes and use that line!