Listen up, students

OK, you’re back in Chico, you’ve got money in your jeans and time on your hands, and you’re ready to have fun in the coolest little college town on the West Coast. The weather is mellow, the beer is cold, and you’ve got a three-day weekend coming up—four if you count Friday, which we know you’ll do.

We get it. We’ve been there.

And we want you to have fun this weekend, but we also want you to be good to yourselves and stay healthy. We don’t want your parents to get a 2 a.m. phone call informing them that you’re in the drunk tank or the hospital or, worst of all, that you’ve died in an alcohol-related accident or from overdosing on Jägermeister. All of these things have happened, more often than we care to recount.

Respect yourselves. Act like grown-ups. Don’t drive if you’ve been drinking, and don’t get in a car with someone who has.

And when you party, remember that the Chico Police Department has been dealing with out-of-control parties for decades. The department’s policy is “one and done,” which means: One fight, one bottle or object thrown at officers, or one act of violence, and the police will shut the party down. Party hosts should keep their gatherings small, safe and contained.

Again, it’s all about staying healthy. This is an active, positive, supportive town. We’re here for you. Please: Don’t disappoint us—or yourselves.