According to an Advisory Neighborhood Commission report, neighbors say that student behavior problems persist despite the university’s assurance that there were minimal disturbances last weekend.
The ANC’s report, which was released Tuesday, suggested that student rowdiness remains an acute problem in both Georgetown and Burleith. This conflicts with data from the recent second edition of Rocky’s Report, a weekly public safety update written by Vice President of University Safety Rocco Del Monaco and distributed to neighbors. The update indicated that student-caused disturbances were minimal on the weekend of Nov. 3-5.
Del Monaco wrote that the Metropolitan Police Department has confirmed a decline in noise violations in West Georgetown and Burleith in recent months and that five of six 911 calls last weekend for noise complaints were not linked to Georgetown students.
The release stated that the presence of several university-funded MPD officers, who patrol the area on weekend nights, is partly responsible for a reduction in student noise.
According to Del Monaco, the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program responded to the one noise complaint linked to students and broke up a party of about 20 to 30 students on Winfield Lane Saturday night. In addition, an active SNAP patrol shut down a noisy party on S Street Saturday night.
Despite the university’s efforts to reduce student noise violations and rowdiness on weekend nights, the authors of the ANC report expressed doubt about the university’s ability to live up to its promises to reduce student noise in anticipation of the D.C. Zoning Commission hearing Nov. 17.
In testimony attached to the statement, ANC district 2E commissioner Ed Solomon wrote that he is skeptical of the university’s pledge to reduce student noise because of the frequency of these incidents.
“Based on extensive past experience over the years as well as recent experience, neither my neighbors nor I believe that the university can or will keep things quiet over the long run. The Burleith community and I have heard rosy predictions about this before from the university, and it never has worked,” he wrote.
ANC2E commissioner Ron Lewis echoed Solomon’s sentiments in the statement.
“The loud and disruptive late-night student behavior has continued this fall at the same objectionable levels as in the past,” he wrote. “I have seen no evidence that GU’s additional … MPD officers are active or effective in addressing this noise in the area I represent.”
Solomon wrote that some of his constituents in Burleith considered moving out of the neighborhood because of student-related disturbances.
“I am often out observing late at night, and I am constantly in touch with members of the Burleithcommunity. My neighbors and I have experienced and we continue to experience loud and disruptive objectionable conduct from GU students in and around student group houses and throughout our community,” he wrote. “These conditions continue despite GU’s new initiatives including any increase in reimbursable MPD or increased SNAP presence.”
ANC Commissioner Jake Sticka (COL ’13), whose constituency includes mostly Georgetown students, said Del Monaco’s most recent report suggests that students are not responsible for much of the rowdiness in the area.
“It’s really important for people to be aware that not everything negative that’s happening is [caused by] a student,” he said.
While Sticka said that the university is acting in good faith in releasing the report, he acknowledged that it may be slow to change neighborhood opinions.
“[Georgetown is] trying to let the community know what’s happening on the weekends. It’s an honest depiction. Whether the community is going to take that seriously and accept that as the reality of what’s happening remains to be seen,” he said.
MPD could not be reached for comment.
