Two students were involved in an altercation at the American Legion on Friday night during an after party hosted by Oswego’s African Student Organization (ASO).

“I saw a brawl of two guys fighting,” sophomore Lizmarlin Santiago said. “One guy, they pushed him to the side and they tried to stop him. It was craziness all over.”

Freshman Rosa Vasquez, who was in the bathroom at the time of the fight, said she heard students yelling. When Vasquez left the restroom, she saw a mob of people.

Meanwhile, a second fight occurred near the coat rack by the rear emergency exit doors of the facility. The venue became “hectic,” Santiago said.

“There were multiple things happening at once,” said Santiago, who rushed with her friends to leave the venue. “I got my jacket and I took the hanger and I threw it on the floor.”

Santiago said she heard the cops as she walked back to campus with her friends.

Donna Reeves, a maintenance worker for the American Legion, was downstairs during the fight. Reeves said at approximately 1:20 a.m. the fire alarm was pulled on the second floor.

“The police were here again and the fire department,” Reeves said. “After so many times they can take our license. They called and I said [over the phone], ‘There’s no fire, but they have to come.’”

Lt. Zachary Misztal of the Oswego City Police Department could not be reached before publication.

According to the Oswego police blotter, no arrests were made at the American Legion on Friday night.

ASO declined to comment.

The commander of the American Legion could not be reached before publication.

According to Reeves, the students usually display “good” behavior, aside from those who puke in the bathroom.

“There are really no challenges as long as they behave,” Reeves said. “They are supposed to be young adults.”

The American Legion is often rented out by student organizations. More than 100 students attend the biweekly parties.

The tickets cost $5 before inflation at 12:04 a.m., according to flyers posted on the ASO Instagram page.

On Friday night, DJ Aphrika and DJ Royelt provided a line up of rap, dancehall, reggae, salsa and hip-hop music.

For years, the American Legion helped to build a bridge of inclusion among students.

“Even though we all talk to each other, you can still see the division between the white people and the minorities,” Santiago said. “These events are mostly attended by minorities.”

Several students fear the altercation will jeopardize future parties at the venue.

“That is our venue to party,” Santiago said. “If this does shut down, where are we going to party?”

Before events were hosted at the American Legion, students traveled over 9 miles from the Oswego State campus to the Moose Lounge in Fulton, New York.

The D Bus transported students to the facility.

Unsure of whether the facility will be open for parties, Cherilyn Beckles, the director of programming for the Caribbean Student Association (CSA), is searching for new venues.

“We needed a place for the after party,” Beckles said. “It’s really inconvenient and it’s not fair that because of ASO’s party we [have to find a new venue]. I am not trying to say it was ASO’s fault. I just think they shouldn’t take Legion away from us. It was a few individuals, maybe ban them, but not everybody else.”

Sophomore Kimberly Anderson said the parties allowed students to celebrate their culture.

“It’s sad,” Anderson said. “Legion is a good place to go after the stress of a week of college. You go to Legion to have fun, dance and hang out with friends. It was the only place on campus that people of color went to.”

Santiago, said she connects with her Latina roots while two-stepping to salsa on the dance floor.

“Legion is the good place, the only place,” she said. “It’s a home away from home.”