I’ve been asked about the city's (and my) role in UNI’s decision to hold the UNI Parade downtown on Main Street, rather than on College Hill this year. Residents also asked me about the level of police presence on College Hill Friday night. Here’s my perspective on both topics.
The UNI Homecoming Parade
I first learned about the UNI Parade event permit application for downtown in the city’s Monday morning Directors Meeting in late August. The directors discussed possible concerns about a downtown Homecoming Parade conflicting with other events already occurring Downtown that morning (the Cedar Falls Farmers Market and the Pink Ribbon Run). Through the approval process, staff determined that all three events could be held the same morning, because they would not be in conflict. On technical grounds, the event permit application met all the requirements, including the noise variance and so the city approved it.
As Mayor, I didn’t weigh in politically on this one way or the other. I received no requests from citizens, businesses, or the College Hill Partnership, asking me to intervene in any way. No council members communicated any concerns to me either. It simply isn't the city government's role to direct the activities of UNI, or vice versa To my knowledge, no city staff member advocated for the parade to be held on either College Hill or Downtown.
The UNI administration & homecoming planners had their reasons for moving this year’s event from College Hill to Downtown. Any explanations will need to come from UNI directly; I will not speak for them. In planning for next year’s event, I anticipate that UNI would again consider having it on College Hill, in accordance with long-standing tradition. But, it’s ultimately UNI’s call. I do applaud UNI's efforts to have a greater connection to the whole Cedar Valley, but I also realize that College Hill is directly tied to the UNI experience, and that needs to be celebrated and encouraged, too.
The Law Enforcement Posture
The Cedar Falls Public Safety Department seeks to ensure safety and security for everyone on the Hill and historically, Homecoming Weekend has presented particular challenges. That said, I understand that an overabundance of uniformed officers can be intimidating, and continual police surveillance can add unnecessary tension to an enjoyable night. There’s no one right answer to address this, but I have asked the Public Safety Director to consider recent law enforcement data and trends from past UNI Homecomings to see if Homecoming can be treated as a ‘regular event weekend' in terms of police staffing, and also to account for the fact that a significant investment has been made in high-definition security cameras throughout College Hill. I have asked for consideration of plainclothes officers to help tone down the overt LE presence during Homecoming. The Police Divison will also be re-evaluating the need for barricades and a full street closure on College Street next year. There's never one correct answer that will satisfy everyone, but I'm committed to getting to a solution that will satisfy most.
I appreciate residents bringing these concerns to my attention. If you have specific concerns about the weekend that I didn’t address above, please contact me at mayor@cedarfalls.com. Thanks for reading to the end, and for doing the work to be an informed and engaged resident.