In 2010, there were 26 arrests at Clam Jam. Last year, 36 people got arrested.
Up to 1,500 Fairfield students, alumni and friends are expected to gather on the crowded beach near Lantern Point this weekend for the annual end-of-school ritual and party.
Each year restrictions seem to grow stronger and the orange fences extend longer, but students still plan to attend the spring party despite the risks of winding up arrested and getting a criminal record.
“I will definitely go to Clam Jam regardless. It’s a Fairfield tradition, but I will just be more cautious,” said Meghan Murphy ‘13. Murphy is one of many students who is not concerned about the number of arrests.
“Clam Jam is fun because it’s a Fairfield tradition, but it’s not worth a criminal record,” said Jen Yoo ’13.
Lantern Point is a private beach, which has a court order that forbids more than 250 people from gathering on the deck. Students who do not live on the Point but gather on the deck are trespassing on private property, according to the Fairfield Police Department.
“This is a tradition for seniors. There is no problem if they just keep it for the seniors at the beach,” said Fairfield Deputy Police Chief Chris Lyddy. Lyddy explained how the problems occur when visitors and underclassmen attend Clam Jam.
“I would hope that Fairfield Police would warn us if we are doing something illegal. We’re not looking to cause trouble,” said Ling Chen ‘13.
Lyddy confirmed that students can be on the beach, but that Lantern Point is private property, which makes nonresidents trespassing. Arrests peaked between 2005 and 2007, he said, and in recent years, students have generally been well-behaved. But he said it is the job of Fairfield Police to enforce the court order.
While Lyddy hopes there will be no arrests, he said that the actions of some students are what lead to these arrests. These arrests mostly involved disorderly conduct, public indecency and public urination.
Fairfield University was ranked number one in the country for the worst town-gown relations in 2003. It has worked hard to improve this relationship, but it is still ranked by The Princeton Review as having the seventh worse relations with the local town of any school in the country.
“This number still doesn’t accurately portray the relationship. We have seen a significant improvement and The Princeton Review doesn’t accurately represent this,” said Rama Sudhakar, vice president of Marketing and Communications at Fairfield University.
“I think over the past five years there has been an improved relationship between students and year-round residents, ” said Paige Herman, president of the Fairfield Beach Residents Association and a long-time critic of the university. She believes that this improvement can be attributed to a more “mature and civil student population.”
Angry residents responded to past Clam Jams with a court order in 2001. This injunction was a temporary action to tame Clam Jam. It prohibited more than 250 gathering between the metal gates of Lantern Point and prevented the gatherings, such as the 5,000 students and 270 kegs at the peak of the Clam Jam tradition.
The court order was made permanent in 2006 and Fairfield University tried alternative school-sponsored events like Spam Jam. This was unsuccessful though, as students still find ways to make Clam Jam happen.
“As long as we don’t damage or interfere with their property, then there should not be a problem,” said Shannon Cooney ‘13.
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