We have a lot to celebrate this weekend. In addition to Halloween and Homecoming, we hope to have victories to celebrate in football, menâÄôs and womenâÄôs hockey, along with other sports. I hope that many of you will participate in these events; and if you do so, I hope you and your peers will make good choices that reflect well upon you and our community. Good choices include looking out for your friends to keep them safe, respecting residents in University neighborhoods, taking public transportation or a taxi if you have been drinking, avoiding high-risk drinking activity and calling the MSA Express (612-388-6911) to get home. Bad choices include breaking the law by consuming alcohol if you are underage, providing alcohol to minors or consuming a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time. I see the results of bad choices related to weekend alcohol consumption every Monday morning: reports of individuals ticketed for drinking and driving, damaging property or assaulting someone; police reports of students who were assaulted physically or sexually, or who seriously hurt themselves. Since the beginning of the school year, my office has had to contact the parents of 18 students who had consumed so much alcohol they had to be transported to the hospital because they were unable to care for themselves. This weekend there will be additional police resources deployed to help ensure the safety of our students and our community. Please help us inform the broader student community that individuals who engage in activities that are illegal or that violate the Student Conduct Code may suffer consequences that can impact their future goals and ambitions. I understand that âÄúparty patrolsâÄù are offensive to some students, but it is important to remember that being part of a college community does not exempt anyone from the responsibilities of adulthood. We have a lot to celebrate this weekend. I hope that you choose to celebrate responsibly, and I hope you will encourage your friends to do the same. Jerry Rinehart is the Vice Provost for Student Affairs. Please send comments to [email protected]