Tufts students misbehave at bash, hotel cited

MEDFORD, Mass. (WHDH) -- The campus of Tufts University in Medford is buzzing about a recent winter bash at the Westin Hotel in Boston where 3,000 students partied, some of them a bit too hard.

Police are saying the Westin Hotel also violated some rules.

“It was a little bit disgusting,” said Julia Stein. She was among the thousands of students at the hotel for a school dance that spun out of control. “I guess the vomiting and the urination in the lobby, which is not a public restroom at all. That was a little gross.”

Police have cited the Westin for a number of violations including underage drinking and uncooperative security.

Fifteen people were treated on-site for alcohol abuse; six people were taken to the hospital.

“In the days after the winter bash everyone was talking about how there was an unprecedented number of cases, but in all honesty, it didn’t seem any more crazy, or less so, than our other school-wide events,” said Adrienne Larson, who went to the winter bash.

The winter bash is a rite of passage for most students at Tufts, but this year’s party spun out of control to the point there the Dean of Students at Tufts University acknowledged some of the students “...were blatantly rude and disrespectful. This kind of behavior is not unique to our university but it is absolutely unacceptable.”

Many students said it was downright embarrassing.

“At things like this people start drinking so early because the buses leave at like 8:30, so people have to get all of their drinking in before they get on the bus,” said Sarah Fields, who attended the winter bash.

By the time people got to the Westin they were already intoxicated.

“It’s unfortunate that’s what people do. Not everyone does that, but some people do,” said Ethan Freedman, a student.

The school is now reexamining the dance. It is looking at the policy surrounding the dance and trying to figure out what it can do to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future.

Students say the school needs to do more to educate students about alcohol.