Campus and town officials, area landlords discuss spring weekend planning

Campus officials hosted a meeting of local landlords, town and campus representatives and public safety officials on April 4 to discuss strategies for handling busy spring weekend activities.

 

Ten local landlords were on hand to hear about plans for on-campus activities, new neighborhood initiatives aimed at limiting late-night disturbances in residential areas near the campus and general preparations to deal with off-campus parties in Amherst. The landlords were briefed by town and campus police on overall plans to deal with any disruptive events and asked questions about how to monitor and report on events at rental properties.

 

Tips were shared on how to prepare properties for upcoming weekends.

 

Dean of students Enku Gelaye told the group that her office is dealing with students who misbehave on or off campus. She outlined the communications recently sent to students, parents and students who have already been subject to hearings about their behavior, to show that the university is making clear the consequences of ignoring the rules.

 

Police Chief John Horvath, in a message echoed by Scott Livingstone, the Amherst police chief, told the group that there is an agreement on how to deal with large spring parties in town. “The general goal is to get out in front of things before they get out of hand,” Horvath says. The two departments will be conducting joint patrols on upcoming weekends and will have joint teams of officers available if large parties develop in town.

 

Beginning April 5, the Walk This Way initiative seeks to divert late-night pedestrian traffic away from Fearing Street and other residential streets to nearby walking routes. This will be done using the Baby Berk food truck, volunteers and signs to redirect students to the Southwest Residential Area. This plan was created by the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking and will be in place for several weekends this spring.

 

Other issues discussed included events planned for the next few weeks at the Mullins Center. There was also discussion of a new online tool for students who move off campus. David Vallaincourt, associate dean of students, says the new Online Web-Based Learning tool helps both students and landlords by clarifying local rules and regulations along with skills needed to successfully rent properties in the private rental market.