The Office of Student Affairs addressed the need for improved communication among students living off-campus and Georgetown neighborhood residents at a meeting Wednesday. The meeting was provoked by repeated complaints during the 2003-04 school year regarding reported incidents of student misbehavior.
Charles VanSant, Director of Off-Campus Student Life, emphasized that the meeting was intended to address the broader subject of long-term relationships between residents, students and the University.
“Almost all of the students are great neighbors, but an individual student’s behavior can impact opportunities for the University to move forward,” VanSant said.
Jeanne Lord, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, said improved communication among students, other residents and Student Affairs are the means to work toward solutions.
“If I could do one thing, it would be to have the trust of students,” Lord said.
At least one student said that Lord’s office has yet to receive that trust.
While Meaghan Remshard (CAS ‘05) is thankful that the Office of Off-Campus Student Life exists, she said that requesting the office’s assistance would probably be her last resort.
“We initially felt tension with the whole idea of an Office of Off-Campus Student Life, considering that Georgetown Housing sent us off-campus, and we had to do things on our own. If they are trying to help us, why can’t they facilitate living on campus?” she said.
Victoria Rixey, President of the Citizens Association of Georgetown, is dissatisfied with the University’s response to local residents’ grievances.
“I think Georgetown has room for improvement and needs more progressive policies,” Rixey said. “But I will say that Chuck VanSant has been a marvelous addition to Off-Campus Student Life.”
Rixey added that she is not blaming all students for the misconduct of a few. “Those extreme cases of students trespassing on our roofs and bricks being thrown into windows make it hard on everybody. Most residents and the vast majority of students are not doing anything wrong,” she said.
Students attending Wednesday’s meeting said they were concerned that neighbors do not consider the fact that new students have moved in to previously disruptive houses.
“We went over to shake our neighbor’s hand and we told him that we lived next-door. His response was, ‘Good for you,’” one student at the meeting said.
Michael Glick (CAS ‘05), Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for District 2E, recognizes that student residents and more permanent residents have different priorities.
“Coincidentally, students and non-students in our community desire the same thing: to be left alone,” he said.
“Unfortunately, these values come into conflict and outside agents must step in. But the response, be it from the University, MPD or anyone else, must be both reasonable and practical.”
The reciprocal dynamic observed in Wednesday’s meeting provided an illustration of the direct results of enhanced communication. “I felt like less of a victim during the meeting than I did when I first got the letter about it,” off-campus resident Jackie Forster (CAS ‘05) said.
