Committee tackles issues north of 45th

[img1]The North of 45th Work Group, a committee appointed by UW President Mark Emmert to address long-standing problems in the neighborhood north of Northeast 45th Street, put forth its recommendations for action last month.

The neighborhood north of campus has long been a source of concern to residents and the University. More than 6,000 students live in the area where the committee reported that excessive noise, vandalism, overcrowding, trash and poor safety detract from the general quality of life.

The recommendations of the work group include strengthening police coordination and enforcement, extension and revision of the student conduct code and the formation of an ongoing committee to further discuss problems and implement solutions. However, there was no consensus among the members as to which approach would prove most effective.

Eric Nordlund, president of the Interfraternity Council, favored greater police presence in the area.

"The police are pretty under-funded," he said. "I think if students were more afraid of getting noise complaints it would be just as much of a deterrent as extending the student conduct code."

Nordlund cited police presence as part of the reason the Greek community receives fewer complaints than its neighbors to the north.

"We have the Incident Patrol Teams that go around on party nights and go into parties and check things out," he said. "To get a response up there, the neighbors have to call the cops and file a noise complaint."

In contrast to increased policing, other recommendations called for a more cooperative effort between the University and the community.

One proposal to involve members of the community in the community's problems was a restorative justice program, which could be created through a revision in the student conduct code.

"It would give offenders the opportunity to sit down face-to-face with the individuals harmed and talk about what happened, accept responsibility and understand the harm caused by their behavior," said co-chair Julia Gold, director of the Mediation Clinic at the Law School. "The goal is to involve the people affected by crime in the effects of crime, to work toward restoring the community through having this kind of dialogue."

Regardless of disagreements among committee members, there was a strong consensus when it came to student accountability.

"The committee was unanimous in the view that students should be accountable for certain behaviors in certain areas off campus," said committee member Eric Godfrey, vice provost for student affairs. These areas would be limited to places "where the University has a special concern and responsibility to the community."

For the University, the question of how to achieve accountability north of 45th Street rests with Emmert and Provost Phyllis Wise.

"Accountability was a principle that was embraced by the committee," Godfrey said. "But whether or not accountability would occur by extending the student conduct code or through some other mechanism is a question that we have to study further."

The foremost recommendation of the work group was to establish an ongoing committee to "follow up and monitor the implementation of these recommendations." Emmert's response to the report is expected by the end of the summer.