A group of six administrators will be meeting next week to discuss issues surrounding city legislation that, if passed, will enable the eviction of residents from their homes if they are cited twice for exceeding a noise level of 55 decibels.
The legislation does not intend to change the level of allowed noise, but it outlines a proposal that will make enforcement stronger and punishment harsher.
"We thought it would be useful to understand more fully what the proposed ordinance said, what the impact on our students would be, what kinds of activities would be affected, etc.," said Dean of Undergraduate Education Paula Burger, who will be attending the meeting.
The meeting will be held to establish an official university position on the ordinance.
"There is no preconceived notion of what the outcome of the meeting should be," University spokesperson Dennis O'Shea said.
In the meantime, administrators are not taking positions that suggest University policy will change significantly if the law is enacted.
"I don't personally believe at this time that the passage of this ordinance will alter the University's support of students or change our policies towards student life," said Community Liaison Carrie Bennett, another of the meeting's planned attendants.
However, she said, "I will have to reevaluate how I currently patrol and how I try to educate our students about off-campus housing issues."
One possible result of the bill's passage will be an increased sensitivity of landlords to complaints of excessive noise. This practice of self-patrol may lead to more evictions if renters do not adjust their noisy behaviors. This applies, for example, to fraternity houses whose parties may cause tension with neighbors. One long-debated proposal is for a so-called fraternity row, a concentration of fraternity houses in an area apart from neighboring residences.
There is no guarantee, however, that such a proposal will materialize.
"We presently have no plan for a fraternity row, although we have been urged to consider options for our Greek organizations, and we expect to spend some time thinking about this issue in the context of our ongoing discussion of meeting residential and social needs of students," Burger said.
The first few weeks of the school year saw the highest frequency of noise complaints regarding student activities, although overall there have been no significant problems throughout the past two semesters.
"I have been very pleased at the generally positive way that students have responded this year to our entreaties to be respectful of the neighbors," Burger said. "As long as groups of students live in the community, this will be an ongoing issue of both education and close monitoring."
"I still firmly believe that we can find a balance between the social lives of our students off campus and the lives of our neighbors. We will be able to adjust," Bennett said.
The other administrators attending the meeting will be Director of Community Relations Salem Reiner, Director of City Relations Joseph Smith, Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell and Associate Dean of Students Dorothy Sheppard.
The bill still must make it through hearings before legislative committees and the public. If passed, it will then be subject to approval by mayor Sheila Dixon.
