Although some beer bottles were thrown and there were a few attempts to start mid-street festivities, Cedar Village stayed relatively trouble-free. We’re glad the night remained fairly calm and police forces kept the the gathered people from breaching the sidewalk. The rowdy groups on the corner of Cedar Street and Waters Edge Drive have given the university a bad reputation, letting others believe we exist as a party-oriented campus. However, more than half of those arrested Saturday night were not MSU students. Celebrating with class and dignity is a trend we hope more students at MSU are beginning to adopt.

Fewer students might have gathered in Cedar Village this year because of Easter weekend and a disappointing loss in the Final Four. These might have been good reasons for many to not attend a mass gathering of disorderly conduct and instead enjoy a casual night of relative sobriety and abiding by the law. Hopefully, the events of this year will strive to be a contrasting trend to couch burning, unnecessary violence and glass bottle throwing. Police forces willingly allowed congregators to roam the sidewalks of Cedar Village, making a couple dozen arrests along the way.

Now that police forces have gained experience with the riot-like conditions from previous years, their ability to handle those conditions has much improved. Their control on the partying has become more efficient and organized, stopping violent situations. With a little leeway from law enforcement, and cooperation from students, postgame groups can be calm and peaceful.

We recognize large gatherings have become a solidified tradition in East Lansing, happening every time the basketball team displays a successful run in the tournament. However, the kind of reputation the parties hold doesn’t shed a positive light on MSU. Turning the chaotic night into a calm, enjoyable night the community can recognize is not an unreachable goal by any means. The students at MSU and visitors to the university easily can turn the celebration into a night of appreciation that leaves nobody feeling ashamed.

Considered a stroke of luck by some, the men’s basketball team did a phenomenal job of carrying Spartan spirit deep into the NCAA Tournament. There is little need to cause such moral destruction to the university after such an exemplary display of athletic ability and coaching. The basketball team went further than expected this year, knocking out opponents with grace and beating buzzers along the way.

The university has pride in its basketball team. Spartans hard work on the court and dedication to MSU has brought positive attention to the university. To bring a negative spin on the attention generated by rioting would be disrespectful to the team and MSU. We are proud of the basketball team and its many accomplishments, and we hope when the Spartans return to East Lansing, they can be proud of us, too.