Tuition, books, mooning? Frosh week rituals can be costly, police warn

Add mooning and prank calls to the list of back-to-school expenses university students should plan for.

A Toronto-area police force is warning students about the hidden cost of some questionable frosh-week rituals such as streaking and putting cement in a public washing machine—both of which carry fines of up to $5,000.

York Regional Police say forcing a pet to smoke marijuana, for example, could cost thousands in fines and involve jail time, while the price of “dropping excessive bass at 4 a.m.” depends on “how excessive” it is.

Among the most affordable offences are hiding in a Walmart after closing time and “climbing onto the roof of the math wing,” both punishable by a $65 fine.

Others—including mooning, defacing faculty portraits and urinating in a neighbour’s yard—carry much heftier price tags of up to $5,000.

And a few, such as buying beer for underage siblings or starting a bonfire with a dorm-room sofa, could land students behind bars.