The upcoming Naut party, originally scheduled for Oct. 23, has been canceled — an unprecedented move announced Tuesday afternoon following a series of shutdowns of student gatherings at the beach by the Fairfield Police Department (FPD). The decision highlights ongoing efforts by authorities, students and university administrators to balance tradition with community concerns.
A Longstanding Fairfield Beach Tradition
The Naut, named in honor of a former famous Fairfield bar called The Floating Nautilus, is an annual tradition celebrated by members of the senior class. The weekly gatherings are held on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9:30 p.m., each featuring various themes and typically take place at different student houses along the beach.
It is coordinated by a team of Off-Campus Leaders who work directly with Allison Berger, the Associate Dean of Students. Berger announced the opportunity to fill these positions in an email sent to seniors in June, describing the role as a chance “to guide, consult, help plan events, work through tension points and advocate for students.”
She also noted that she will “consult with the police and University administration to ensure your activities and safety are not at risk.” It should be noted that, despite the close partnership, the Nauts are not considered to be university-sanctioned events.
Student Organizers Shift Halloween Naut to Penfield Pavilion
Senior Kelly O’Brien, an Off-Campus Leader (OCL), issued the following statement to members of the Class of 2026 through a GroupMe:
“After continued conversations with Dean Berger and her office, we’ve decided to hold our Halloween Naut at the Penfield Pavilion. This is a temporary adjustment made to address recent police interference at our previous events. While this isn’t a permanent change, we believe it’s the best option for the holiday to ensure we won’t be shut down.”
O’Brien noted that this week’s Naut has been canceled “to conserve funds and allocate more resources toward next week’s event.”
Wristbands, Themes and Beach Etiquette
In addition to O’Brien, the current OCL leadership team includes Mickey Squillante and Sabrina Lea.
The leaders are responsible for selling wristbands for the Naut, each costing $75 and ensuring entry to the parties. The money collected is distributed to each host to cover expenses including kegs and decorations.
The OCL trio also communicates the theme and location of each party through the aforementioned GroupMe messaging app. An invitation to join the chat was sent via email in September, and the group currently has 996 members.
Prior to last Thursday’s rodeo-themed Naut, Lea asked students to enter and exit the party through the beach to minimize the disturbance to neighbors. She also reminded the group to “be mindful of trash, noise and public urination” to ensure that students “have a better outcome than last time.”
Despite Security Measures, Police End Party After an Hour
Her message refers to the Naut hosted on Sept. 24, which was cut short by FPD. Following the shutdown, O’Brien messaged the group to acknowledge that “the police are out of our control, particularly when they will not reason with us in any way (as they refused to do last night) and that Dean Berger can only do so much in that regard as well.”
The extent to which the OCLs can control parties is limited. Nevertheless, in an effort to manage and prolong the festivities, G Force Security – the same company contracted to secure Lantern Point – was hired to check wristbands at the entrance.
Still, the party was shut down approximately one hour after it began.
The following day, Squillante sent a message via GroupMe.
“To clear the air regarding the ongoing situation with the police, much of the discourse regarding policing is, to everyone’s dismay, still in the air,” he stated.
Squillante noted that the OCLs have spent hours in meetings with Berger and FPD in an attempt to resolve issues that have hindered students’ ability to fully partake in the Naut tradition.
He continued, “[FPD] has become much more stringent this year in how they have approached the Nauts and other parties despite what they tell us.”
In a statement to The Fairfield Mirror, Sgt. Jenna Wellington of FPD explained the reasoning behind the shutdown:
“In an effort to maintain open communication and coordination with students living in the beach area, Fairfield Police officers met in advance with the students hosting this particular gathering. A few noise complaints came in regarding the party; however, officers determined the noise level to be reasonable. After several complaints from other residents and discussing the situation with officers, the student organizers voluntarily agreed to end the party in an effort to maintain a good relationship with their neighbors.
This type of cooperation and mutual communication is something we hope to continue moving forward, and we appreciate the courtesy the partygoers extended to Fairfield officers and their resident neighbors.”
In response, Lea offered the following perspective on behalf of the OCLs:
“FPD informed us a noise complaint was issued, meaning we need to shut down the party or ‘take our chances at a potential ticket’ and move as many people inside as possible,” Lea said.
“While trying to move people inside and lessen the noise levels, FPD stood amidst the students until everyone left. We did not voluntarily offer to shut it down – we were given no other choice as tickets and arrests are continuously threatened against us students.”
Arrests and Frustrations Spur FUSA to Take Action
These threats are not baseless. The Fairfield Mirror reported that two Fairfield seniors were arrested on Sept. 13 on disorderly conduct charges. The article also mentioned a Sept. 16 email from the Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA) Executive Board, which outlined plans to “amplify student voices.”
In a follow-up email on Sept. 19, FUSA shared that FPD believes “darties have been more out of control.” The email also acknowledged that “students are an important part of the Fairfield community and have the right to enjoy their property.”
The mounting tension between students and FPD led to FUSA’s decision to host an open forum, hosted at the Penfield Pavilion on Oct. 15. The event was announced in an email sent on Sept. 19, which included a link to a comment collection form allowing students to submit questions anonymously. The forum was designated exclusively for seniors, who, according to the email, have been most directly impacted by police presence at the beach.
Open Forum Brings Seniors, Police and Administrators Together
Approximately 25 Fairfield seniors attended the meeting, along with members of the university administration. Berger and Vice President of Student Life Karen Donoghue shared opening remarks, followed by FUSA President Courtney Sabogal, who echoed their sentiments.
“I honestly can’t recall a time in our Fairfield experience where we’ve all been able to be in one room, talking to each other, asking questions and being able to have an open dialogue. I think this is a really unique and special opportunity that we’re very lucky to have,” she said, before turning the floor over to Chief Michael Paris.
Paris began the discussion with a presentation that highlighted his key concerns, displaying images and body camera footage from recent parties and focusing on large student gatherings and open containers, which he identified as safety hazards that could lead to legal violations. His insight is guided by 20 years of law enforcement experience, having been sworn in in 2006 and appointed to his current position in July.
Police Chief Calls for “Handshake Cooperation” With Students
Paris characterizes his department as “progressive” and reiterated his desire to work in tandem with the student population.
“No one is saying that, from a police department’s perspective, that you shouldn’t have a good student experience here. In fact, it’s completely the opposite,” he said. “We value the students’ opinions, and we value the students’ cooperation and presence in our community. If we didn’t have you all, we would be a pretty boring town.”
He recognizes that FPD is seeking to find a balance, maintaining both positive relationships with students and an orderly status.
“I need you all to know that no one would ever say that we are pinpointing students, we are targeting students, we are destroying your college experience, we are over-policing, all those words bother me. And I would never let our officers act that way,” Paris underscores.
Paris spearheaded the development of the Neighborhood Enforcement Team, created to address a variety of quality-of-life issues affecting neighbors in Fairfield. It will be overseen by Sgt. William Beattie.
Beattie’s cell phone number was included in the slideshow and was shared with the intention of opening lines of communication between students and police.
“We have never, ever, ever, ever given our cell phone number to anybody at the beach,” Paris stated. “But I trust that we’re trying to have this open relationship and really have this ability to talk to each other.”
The emphasis on productive dialogue is a facet of Paris’ concept of “handshake cooperation.” As the year continues, he hopes that students and police will act with mutual respect.
Paris also admitted that there is room for collective growth.
“I’ve got to be honest with you, none of our officers are perfect,” he said.
He continued, “We had a group of officers who were in a certain area down at the beach that were not doing what they should be doing, and they were disciplined. They gave you false hope.”
Therefore, Paris encourages officers to communicate with students before taking action. He promotes the practice of checking in first by asking if everything is OK and reminding students to keep things under control rather than immediately stepping in with enforcement.
Students Seek Clarity
In the Q&A portion of the evening, students sought clarification on specific guidelines concerning limitations on the number of guests and noise levels.
“I don’t want to give you a quantifiable number,” Paris responded. “Because you’re not going to like it.”
Instead, he emphasized the need to be “reasonable” and to consider the well-being of the neighborhood as a whole.
When a female student asked for an answer that was “a little bit more concrete,” the chief explained that his team operates in a gray area.
“Some police departments operate by the book,” Paris said. “I don’t do that. And I’m not going to have our officers do that because it’s to your detriment. And that would make me sound like a Gestapo chief.”
Paris continued, “If I said, ‘You better enforce every law in that book to the letter of the law’, It would be, ‘You might as well not live in the United States.’ If you want me to operate on only certain things, like noise ordinances, I’ll do it, but you’re not going to like it.”
He pointed his finger at the student and added, “And I’m going to tell everybody that you said for me to do it.”
Offering a Solution
To address lingering issues from the Naut, Paris suggested that students pivot from tradition. Instead of hosting parties at their homes, he advised renting a venue.
“We’re not the mean police because we want to issue a ticket, but we want to prevent bigger issues from happening,” Paris said.
He specified, “You shouldn’t urinate on your neighbor’s lawn, and that’s what’s happening. Your fellow classmates are, and I know there’s nowhere to go to the bathroom. That’s why we’re saying to rent this place (Penfield Pavilion)…Have a place where you can actually go to the bathroom and not have to do it outside.”
In response, Sabogal spoke on behalf of her peers.
“I think a lot of people have already put money into the places that they rent to live, so that’s why they want to use those places to host parties.”
The OCLs appear to have followed Paris’ lead in moving future events to Penfield Pavilion. The Fairfield Mirror will continue to follow developments as the tradition evolves.