Downtown disturbances during the annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in 1998 and 2000 were on the minds of some members of the Penn State Board of Trustees yesterday.

Responding to a question from a trustee, Penn State President Graham Spanier said there will be about 200 armed police officers as well as mounted police on the streets this weekend.

"This would not be a weekend that I would advise any of you to cause trouble in State College," he said. "We're ready for you."

Undergraduate Student Government President Rubina Javeri asked Spanier how much of a financial burden this weekend's security would pose to the university.

"A tremendous amount, a lot of hours of staff time have been devoted to making sure this works right," Spanier said in response.

Spanier said the university has learned from past experience and is trying to strike a balance this year between having enough security and not creating the impression of a police state downtown.

"We just don't want any of our students or alumni to be in the position that many have been in the past," he said.