As things started to get out of hand, people were asked to disperse. Munitions, including smoke grenades, flash-bang grenades and stingball grenades were employed to try and break up an unwilling crowd.

By about 2:15 a.m. Sunday — when 13 rounds of tear gas were finally used — it officially became yet another riot at MSU.

MSU’s reputation of partying, unruliness and debauchery — including the March 27-28, 1999 and March 30, 2003 riots — are a widely known and highly romanticized part of Spartan lore. Anyone would be fascinated by the tales of turned-over cars, massive property destruction and hostile police donning riot gear. And especially for those who’ve only heard stories about the incidents at MSU, being part of a riot crowd is portrayed as a quintessential part of the MSU experience.

In fact, many students who weren’t there to witness the events early Sunday morning might feel a twinge of regret — as if they missed something momentous.

But what happened Sunday wasn’t glorious. Although no one “side” — either police or students — conducted itself perfectly, it’s clear many students and nonstudents came to Cedar Fest wanting a tear gas-filled riot. They made it happen and are now reveling in their bragging rights.

Although the tear gas has settled, the fallout will last for years.

Students who attended Cedar Fest will glorify that night as one of their best college memories. It will be toted as a badge of honor. Yet here in East Lansing, a very different kind of mark will be left behind: The university will be credited for another riot and tensions between students and the East Lansing community will grow.

There’s no doubt this riot will be incentive for local government officials and permanent residents to further shun students. Redevelopment projects planned for the near-campus area, which would create more expensive housing students might not be able to afford, will probably receive much more support — especially the East Village project that would redevelop the Cedar Village area, the site of Cedar Fest.

It goes without saying that not everyone involved was at fault. There were many innocent bystanders passing by, observing or watching from nearby buildings who were exposed to tear gas, as well. And out of the 52 arrests, only 28 were identified as MSU students, according to an East Lansing Police Department press release. Out of the 48 tickets issued that night, only 24 were given to MSU students.

But everyone in the MSU community will be judged for this riot along with past incidents. People who look at what transgressed in East Lansing won’t differentiate between only a few “bad apples” and the rest of the MSU students. They might assume it’s just a Spartan thing to do.