STORRS, Conn. (AP) – A beefed-up police presence and Mother Nature made for a soggy and somewhat subdued Spring Weekend for most of Saturday.

Police had arrested a total of 48 people on the first two days of the annual last bash before finals and most were not UConn students.

In 1998, police in riot gear made more than 100 arrests when the celebration turned violent. The party ended with nearly $150,000 in property damage. Another 105 people were arrested in 2002, though the numbers have since declined.

Arrest totals for Saturday were not immediately available, but police and UConn said most of those taken into custody were not students. Since Thursday, 12 non-students had been banned from campus, said Interim Dean of Students Julie Bell-Elkins. Two UConn students received interim suspensions.

Bell-Elkins, who is spending the weekend on campus to mete out discipline said she’s been encouraged by what she’s seen so far. The bigger parties off-campus have been breaking up around midnight with little prodding from police.

“We’ve seen a significant drop in numbers of participants,” she said Saturday night. “We saw students going home early on their own. I’ve really seen a change in student behavior. Students are watching out for each other.”

The rain did help one aspect of Spring Weekend. The school-sanctioned “Ooze Ball,” a mud volleyball tournament was played in perfect conditions Saturday. Bell-Elkins played on a team made up of administration employees.

“We went all the way to the semifinals,” she said.

AP-ES-04-23-05 2151EDT