By Mackenzie Clune, For The Miami Student
Similar to previous years, violence and physical outbreaks Uptown and between opposing fraternities have been reported regularly. Publicity of recent events, like the YouTube video of the "break in" fight, has campus under the impression that the crime rate in Oxford is higher than usual.
Contrary to this belief, Officer Pete Durkin of Oxford Police Department (OPD) said crime is about the same as normal.
"Most incidents occur either Uptown at the bars or are result of the students getting into arguments and taking it elsewhere," Durkin said.
In a letter, Oxford City of Commerce Chairman Michael Rudolph reported OPD has made 66 calls to the Uptown business district for fights since January.
Despite steady crime rates, the hype on social media and among the student body has led some to believe that the violence is becoming an issue.
Sophomore Sigma Phi Epsilon member, Joshua Church, said he found the "break-in" fight between the two fraternities, and the amount of hype it got, blown out of proportion.
"I was in the car that Monday after the fight and heard a radio station talking about the 'break in' at Miami," Church said. "I had no clue that the video itself would go viral or be made such a big deal about."
Because many fights take place Uptown near the bars, employees often witness violence.
Bartender Drea Gross said the bar scene can get out of hand at times.
"I have only seen a few fights, always between guys, sometimes because of a girl," Gross said.
Gross added many of the confrontations in the bars are due to students feeling overcrowded and starting fights by pushing others out of the way.
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Because of the concentration of bars Uptown, these issues are not new according to OPD.
And, despite commentary on social media, they are not becoming more severe.
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