WITH MIXED reactions being the order of the day among students at the University of the West Indies after the stampede at Spectrum 2002 held at Mas Camp, the organisers say they will be having the event at another venue next year.
Spectrum is an annual stage show put on by Chancellor Hall, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus. It was held off campus for the first time this year, at Mas Camp in New Kingston last Saturday.
The show was marred by four stampedes, which forced several patrons to leave the venue before the completion of the event. In addition, some patrons sustained physical injuries during the first stampede.
But even those without physical wounds have the memories. "I wasn't injured, but I'll never attend one of those events again. It was just terrifying," said Tanya, a second year student at the UWI.
Another student who wished to remain nameless said she would attend another Spectrum, even though she was injured. She said that she sustained bruises to her legs during the stampedes. However, she pointed out that the show would have to be held at another venue in order for her to attend.
Chancellor Hall representatives have said that the stampedes were unfortunate, since they had gone to great lengths to ensure that the patrons were secure and comfortable.
"We had the police conduct searches at the gate, so the stampedes shouldn't be blamed on us. No bottles were thrown either for people to panic. We had no control over that (the stampedes)," Floyd Green, Cultural and Entertainment Affairs Chairman (CEAC) of Chancellor Hall pointed out.
The organisers said that they had heard of a few injuries caused by the stampedes, but were unable to say how much, or how serious the persons were injured.
"No one has said anything to us about their injuries so far, but we know of a few injuries," said Duane Daley, Deputy Hall Chairman of Chancellor Hall explained.
While not able to say if a profit was made from the event, he pointed out that the damage to the venue was small and that it would not cost much to fix.
Mr. Daley said that they had not received any word from the UWI administration regarding the incident or what course of action might be taken but added that an alternate venue would be sought next year.
"The venue was too small for the crowd that turned up. We will be looking for a much larger venue next year. We want the patrons to feel much more comfortable and minimise incidents like these from happening," he said.
Meanwhile, student services manager for Chancellor Hall, Michael Clarke, said he was unable to comment on the issue, adding that he did not have the authority to do so and that the matter was solely in the hands of the UWI administration.
Checks with the owners of Mas Camp revealed that they were unable to place a cost with regards to the damage done, since they had not carried out a valuation. However, they pointed out that Mas Camp remains a safe venue, since the walls are designed to fall in the event of an incident similar to the stampedes that happened on Saturday.
