With help from the Metropolitan Police Department, Georgetown University aims to get its "party problem" under control, said members of the Georgetown University Student Association.
Two off-duty, uniformed police officers will patrol the Georgetown neighborhoods of Burleith and in West Georgetown and respond to neighbors' calls to the Student Neighbor Assistance Program hotline beginning in early February, according to Georgetown 's student newspaper, The Hoya.
A shooting at a Georgetown University party last Friday that left one student injured did not inspire the change, said Andy Asensio, communications director for Georgetown's Student Association.
Plans for MPD takeover of the hotline were in the works before the incident occurred. The changes were not inspired by specific incidents, but were a response to students "not feeling safe," Asensio told The Eagle, pointing to a general increase in crime in the area over the past year.
A Northwest D.C. resident was shot on P Street, one block away from the Georgetown campus, on Jan. 17. The victim, who was not a Georgetown student, was shot in the foot after the suspect demanded money and tried to steal the victim's wristwatch.
'Pleased with the Program'
This change will make the student-neighbor program, an already successful initiative, more effective, Asensio said in an e-mail.
"Our resident neighbors have been encouraged by the fact that the university made an effort to do a better job of oversight over off-campus students," he said.
"Occasionally a token few residents will be upset if they feel the university's sanctions for certain behaviors are not what they'd like, but for the most part, the residents have been pleased with the program."
The student-neighbor hotline, established a few years ago, is available for residents who have a complaint about a Georgetown University party. The university sends an official to check out the situation between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. Calls received at other hours are routed to the MPD.
The University's Student Affairs office proposed the change to student leaders, including Georgetown 's president and a student Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative.
"We all immediately jumped on board with it," Asensio said. "We all were able to draw the same conclusions that the mere presence of police officers in the area would be a deterrent to crime, since the overwhelming majority of crimes we have seen recently have been committed by people who aren't from these neighborhoods."
Last Tuesday, the change won approval from ANC commissioners, the presidents of the Burleith Citizens Association and the Citizens Association of Georgetown, and members of the Alliance for Local Living. The alliance includes students, university administrators, neighbors and civic associations, and meets every month to discuss neighborhood issues.
Parties have led to a number of problems for Georgetown students in recent years.
Last Friday, a sophomore was shot in the head at a party in the Alumni Square residence hall at about 1:30 a.m. The Georgetown Hoya reported that the injury was not serious. The suspect, a 6-foot-2 Hispanic male with a ponytail, allegedly fired when he was asked to leave the party.
Last year, a party at the rugby team's house on Prospect Street ended in a fire that resulted in the death of one student on Oct. 17.
Also last year, an MPD incident report said two freshmen were intoxicated when they set fire to Darnell residence hall Dec. 17.
A student died after in altercation in the Lauinger Library parking lot Feb. 22, 2000. The death occurred during one of the university's semi-annual Block Parties, multi-day events to raise money for charity that allow students 21 and older to buy alcohol at discount prices from local vendors.
The party scene at AU
In contrast, noise complaints at AU have declined over the past year, said Leonard Jukkala, coordinator of Public Safety administration. He said that Public Safety "rarely" gets calls from the neighbors.
Sarah Waldron, associate dean of students, said that last semester she received three complaints from neighbors.
"That's good that we only had three. Ordinarily we have many more," she said. "In the last few years there has been a decline in the number of parties that have come to our attention in our neighborhood."
Waldron said she wasn't sure why AU has received fewer complaints.
"I don't know if there is a reason for the decline. A lot of these complaints run in cycles and have to do with one house where there are repeated incidents. When the lease is up and students move, the problems go away," she said.
When a party gets out of hand, neighbors usually call the MPD first and police officers call Public Safety for assistance, Jukkala said. Public Safety officials go to the scene of the party in "not a law enforcement capacity but an administrative capacity," he said. University officials help the MPD take down names of offenders.
Waldron receives complaints after the party has occurred, and she works with Public Safety to identify the students involved. She brings them to her office to talk to them about the complaint and how to maintain better relations with neighbors. If the problem house belongs to a Greek club or sports team, leaders of those organizations may become involved.
AU usually does not penalize students for what they do at off-campus parties, Waldron said.
"It's tough because ... we have looked at, do we apply the student conduct code off-campus or not, and in these situations we have not."
Sometimes the MPD issues citations for noise and underage drinking, she said.
Caller complaints
Most neighborhood complaints have to do with the noise of partygoers coming and leaving, including the sounds of doors slamming, loud talking or screaming, starting cars and blowing horns.
Other complaints have to do with vandalism and litter. Some students walk to and from parties though neighbors' yards, urinating on trees or throwing up on lawns. After a party, some students fail to clean up, leaving cups, bottles, cans and other trash.
Traffic and drunk driving are another problem for neighbors. A party can require space to park cars, crowding streets. Neighbors fear for their own safety and that of their children and pets when some students speed or drive erratically.
Waldron said that the University's policy for dealing with off-campus parties is effective, and there hasn't been any reason to change it.
Alcohol has not been allowed in AU residence halls since the D.C. drinking age changed from 18 to 21 in 1987.
Faith Leonard, dean of students, said that AU had the reputation of being a party school in the 1980s, The Eagle previously reported. Since it became a "dry campus," student conduct improved and less vandalism occurred in residence halls.
