University of Wisconsin officials and student leaders are disappointed a disturbance erupted during the State Street Halloween party, but they still feel some parts of the weekend were a success.

The Associated Students of Madison sponsored several events aimed at preventing vandalism and violence that materialized in recent years.

Associated Dean of Students Lori Berquam was on State Street during the disturbance and attended the ASM events. She said it was disappointing to see a few people ruining the celebration for others.

“I was [on State Street and] saw people having a good time without causing any trouble,” Berquam said. “To think of all the work ASM did, along with other students, it was too bad that this [disturbance] had to happen.”

ASM Halloween Committee Chair Kristina Mueller was also disappointed about the disturbance.

“It was sad to see a small core group of [people] ruin the night for others,” Mueller said.

Despite the need for police intervention, Mueller said she thought the ASM events were successful in helping to draw crowds away from State Street.

“I think overall this year was a lot better than past years,” Mueller said. “There was a significant less amount of vandalism and injuries, which was a huge victory.”

ASM workers handed out 15,000 free slices of pizza and 1,000 sub sandwiches Saturday night to students at Library Mall.

The ASM-sponsored events put people in an excited, positive mood and set the tone for a fun weekend, Mueller said.

Mueller said she hopes the Halloween events the student government organized will continue in the future and ASM members will meet with officials to address the problems that occurred over the weekend.

Berquam attributes part of the problem to out-of-town students who were not aware of the rules and regulations of Halloween weekend. UW students should have taken responsibility for their guests, she said.

UW students have varying thoughts about whether visiting students should be welcome in Madison during future Halloween celebrations.

“I think [other students] should stay at their own school so our town doesn’t get destroyed,” UW freshman Melissa Hormann said.

UW sophomore Chris Stark has a different opinion.

“I like all the people coming [to Madison],” Stark said. “It adds to the excitement and it gives a sense of Madison being the place to be.”

But visiting students are not the only cause of the problem, according to Berquam.

“I also think part of the problem is the intoxication,” Berquam said. “People wouldn’t do these things if they weren’t intoxicated.”

Berquam added she is open to asking students what they think would be acceptable solutions for a safe Halloween in the future.

“Peer pressure and word of mouth are a lot more powerful than we think it is,” Berquam said. “We need to ask students when is enough enough?”