In its 10th year as an officially unofficial holiday, State College Police still refuse to recognize State Patty’s Day by name, instead opting to warn students and offer safe party techniques for “the weekend between THON and Spring Break.”

“In past years, the weekend before Spring Break has been a challenge for our community,” a press release from the State College Police Department says. Of course, that “challenge” is only considered such from Borough officials and permanent residents as well as the strain State Patty’s induces on the relationship between those groups and students.

State College Police wrote in a press release that the weekend typically has higher crime rates and alcohol overdoses than a “typical winter weekend,” though things have improved “significantly” since the State Patty’s Day peak of 2011 to 2012. Last year, however, there was a noticeable uptick in the State Patty’s spirit downtown — not only criminally and medically, but also visually and in the “feeling in the air” downtown. For many, it seemed as though State Patty’s Day was back.

To try to mitigate crime, destruction, and excessive drinking in advance, police offered a few tips on how to party as well as some stricter-than-usual regulations. The first rule: Don’t invite any guests to your house or apartment this weekend. One way to avoid problems with your party is obviously to just not have one, but if you do decide to have some friends over, police offered the following tips in addition:

• Prevent guests from yelling or throwing items off your balcony or from your house.
• Do not permit anyone less than 21 years of age to consume alcohol at your apartment or house. Police warn that anyone who does this can be arrested.
• Do not serve large quantities of alcohol at your apartment or house.
• Keep any noise or music at a reasonable level. Police warn that noise violations will be “strictly enforced at all hours of the day and night” and that the minimum fine for a noise violation is $750, plus court charges.
• Ensure your property is clear of all trash, including red cups, beer cans, and food containers.

Police said too they plan to increase presence downtown with “assertive” patrolling during this unnamed weekend that just happens to be lit every year, and they will be focusing their attention on rental apartments and housing in the downtown area and adjacent neighborhoods.

To be fair, it’s in the best interest of students to respect the Borough as much as possible this weekend as the State College government considers legislation that would limit daylongs and even require residents to register parties. Any excessive partying or disrespect to Borough property or officials just gives more reason for stricter regulations from a Borough Council who already thinks students need to be tamed and their partying is a disgrace to the college community they actively choose to live in.

It’s hard to say what State Patty’s Day will bring this year with the ban on Greek socials and the strict regulations that were enacted. Unlike past years, bars are planning to open and most apartment complexes haven’t banned parties (as far as we know) as they’ve previously done.