SGA President Steve Glickman discussed his plans for launching “Beat Duke Week” at the College Park City Council meeting last night.

Where last year, there was pepper spray, this year, there will be a pep rally.

In an attempt to mitigate mayhem next week during the Terrapin men’s basketball showdown with Duke on Feb. 2, student leaders, Prince George’s County Police, University Police and city officials have joined forces to provide students with alternatives to celebrating in the street.

Last night, police officials presented their “Beat Duke Week” plan to the College Park City Council, which largely supported the initiative’s endgame: a peaceful night in the city.

A victory over Duke last March touched off a night of rioting on Route 1, when more than two dozen people were arrested and students alleged police used excessive force to quell the mob.

The new plan focuses on fostering good sportsmanship among students. In an attempt to regain the student body’s trust, police will also make students aware of their presence — both university and county forces will be on-call Feb. 2, county police District 1 Commander Robert Liberati and University Police Chief David Mitchell said.

Alumna Danita Nias, who serves as the assistant vice president of development and alumni relations for the university, helped head the campaign. Nias said events in the days leading up to the game — “aimed at celebrating a … win in traditional ways” — will create constructive avenues for students to channel their enthusiasm.

In addition to a post-game bonfire, students will be invited to participate in activities starting on Monday: A poster contest in which students will have the chance to win Apple products is set to be the first event of “Beat Duke Week,” and a “Relive the Rivalry” viewing of previous Duke games will be held in the Riggs Alumni Center on Tuesday.

“This is the first time students, administration and faculty have joined together to foster the kind of spirit and excitement traditionally associated with a win,” she said.

In addition, a pep rally will be held Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. in Comcast Center, said Student Government Association President Steve Glickman.

“We’ll be organizing some new cheers, some ways of keeping the environment we have but with more of a ‘go Terps’ focus,” he said.

Although organizers and city officials seemed confident the week would go off without a hitch, some students expressed doubt that a pep rally would attract many students before the game.

“I really don’t think kids are going to pick a pep rally over pre-gaming,” said freshman environmental science major Kristen Szczeszek.

Mitchell said the true test of the week will only come when the final buzzer sounds. He noted officers would be prepared to deal with students in an organized manner.

“We understand the fine line between not enough visibility and overwhelming police presence,” Mitchell said. “We’re here to protect not only the university and its students but also this great city and its residents.”

Liberati echoed this sentiment, adding that he believes the police force is more in tune with the student body throughout the fall semester.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to be on campus for crime walks,” he said. “We’re certainly recognizable to the students now. … We’re not what we appeared as in the video those months ago.”

City council members applauded the joint efforts during their presentation last night.

“I don’t know if it’s going to work or not or if students are going to come out or not, but I love that you’re trying,” District 4 Councilman Marcus Afzali said.

Glickman said the fact that all of the “Beat Duke Week” events will be orchestrated by students would increase the likelihood that students will attend.

But many students did not share Glickman’s confidence. Some said a riot simply cannot be prevented because it’s impossible to preempt.

“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be a spur of the moment thing,” junior civil engineering major Michael Prophet said. “We’re not expected to beat Duke, so it’s going to be even crazier if we do.”

What might stop students from taking to the streets, however, is the memory left from last year’s fiasco, Prophet added.

“Maybe since everything happened last year and kids did get arrested, it won’t happen again,” he said.

kirkwood at umdbk dot com