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Drug-fueled Sun God chomps into UCSD budget
Task force says another committee needed for more study
Ricky Ambriz
How much did it cost to stage this year's Sun God, the annual drug and alcohol-plagued rock festival at the center of an ongoing internal controversy at UCSD over the May 17 drug overdose death of undergraduate Ricardo "Ricky" Ambriz?
A cool $869,514, according to a recently released report by the school's Sun God Task Force, set up by university chancellor Pradeep Khosla after local hospitals complained that their emergency rooms had been overburdened by alcohol and drug poisoning cases during 2013's blow-out.
As a result of last year's casualties, the school set up the Sun God Task Force and set out to reform this year's festival by barring non-students, so-called non-affiliates, from the grounds.
Other changes included beefing up law enforcement, adding a second on-campus detox center, and providing a substantial financial assist to the Associated Students, whose mission, says its website, "is to facilitate and encourage students to grow and develop through their involvement in student government, its services and auxiliaries."
"In previous years Sun God has been funded by [Associated Students], using a combination of student fees and revenue from non-affiliate ticket sales," noted the August 31 report from Alan Houston, interim vice chancellor of student affairs.
"To ensure that the quality of Sun God was not diminished during this transitional year, the [nterim vice chancellor of student affairs] agreed, on a one-time basis, to both backfill lost revenue from the elimination of non-affiliate tickets and to underwrite additional security measures in north campus," the document said.
"Backfilling lost revenue from elimination of 3,000 non-affiliate tickets" cost the vice chancellor's office $165,000, according to the report.
Other expenses listed for Houston's office included $4500 paid to Kim Fromme, a Texas expert on student drinking problems who consulted with the task force, and $30,000 for "fencing and security Infrastructure to enforce no-guest policy."
According to the report, Associated Students came up with $657,364 for the event, including artist fees of $9450 and security and ambulance costs of $181,400. The remaining expenses of $212,150 were covered by the vice chancellor's office.
"We received assistance from 15 law enforcement agencies, both regional and mutual aid," the report said, though it's not clear if those costs were shown in the budget.
"In comparison with 2013, the overall number of student conduct violations during Sun God weekend decreased in absolute numbers," the report said, "but remained constant when calculated per 1,000 attendees."
In addition to the Ambriz overdose, ten drug-related arrests and citations were reported, including one for mushrooms and another for "less than 1 ounce marijuana." Ecstasy and hydrocodone pills were also confiscated.
UCSD chancellor Pradeep Khosla
Noted the report: "Approximately 85% of all Sun God incidents involve alcohol. Almost half (48.6%) involve the student being admitted to our on-campus detox centers. Around 13% of all academic year incidents occur during Sun God weekend. "
Before UCSD chancellor Pradeep Khosla decides the fate of next year’s Sun God, the report said, "We recommend that a new committee be charged to assess its future, as well as to address the broader concern of drug and alcohol use on campus."
Here's something you might be interested in.
Drug-fueled Sun God chomps into UCSD budget
Task force says another committee needed for more study
Drug-fueled Sun God chomps into UCSD budget
Task force says another committee needed for more study
Ricky Ambriz
How much did it cost to stage this year's Sun God, the annual drug and alcohol-plagued rock festival at the center of an ongoing internal controversy at UCSD over the May 17 drug overdose death of undergraduate Ricardo "Ricky" Ambriz?
A cool $869,514, according to a recently released report by the school's Sun God Task Force, set up by university chancellor Pradeep Khosla after local hospitals complained that their emergency rooms had been overburdened by alcohol and drug poisoning cases during 2013's blow-out.
As a result of last year's casualties, the school set up the Sun God Task Force and set out to reform this year's festival by barring non-students, so-called non-affiliates, from the grounds.
Other changes included beefing up law enforcement, adding a second on-campus detox center, and providing a substantial financial assist to the Associated Students, whose mission, says its website, "is to facilitate and encourage students to grow and develop through their involvement in student government, its services and auxiliaries."
"In previous years Sun God has been funded by [Associated Students], using a combination of student fees and revenue from non-affiliate ticket sales," noted the August 31 report from Alan Houston, interim vice chancellor of student affairs.
"To ensure that the quality of Sun God was not diminished during this transitional year, the [nterim vice chancellor of student affairs] agreed, on a one-time basis, to both backfill lost revenue from the elimination of non-affiliate tickets and to underwrite additional security measures in north campus," the document said.
"Backfilling lost revenue from elimination of 3,000 non-affiliate tickets" cost the vice chancellor's office $165,000, according to the report.
Other expenses listed for Houston's office included $4500 paid to Kim Fromme, a Texas expert on student drinking problems who consulted with the task force, and $30,000 for "fencing and security Infrastructure to enforce no-guest policy."
According to the report, Associated Students came up with $657,364 for the event, including artist fees of $9450 and security and ambulance costs of $181,400. The remaining expenses of $212,150 were covered by the vice chancellor's office.
"We received assistance from 15 law enforcement agencies, both regional and mutual aid," the report said, though it's not clear if those costs were shown in the budget.
"In comparison with 2013, the overall number of student conduct violations during Sun God weekend decreased in absolute numbers," the report said, "but remained constant when calculated per 1,000 attendees."
In addition to the Ambriz overdose, ten drug-related arrests and citations were reported, including one for mushrooms and another for "less than 1 ounce marijuana." Ecstasy and hydrocodone pills were also confiscated.
UCSD chancellor Pradeep Khosla
Noted the report: "Approximately 85% of all Sun God incidents involve alcohol. Almost half (48.6%) involve the student being admitted to our on-campus detox centers. Around 13% of all academic year incidents occur during Sun God weekend. "
Before UCSD chancellor Pradeep Khosla decides the fate of next year’s Sun God, the report said, "We recommend that a new committee be charged to assess its future, as well as to address the broader concern of drug and alcohol use on campus."
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