While noisy parties have been an ongoing point of debate between the university and its neighbors, Georgetown residents have started to become more concerned with a perceived noise increase in areas close to campus.
Concerns about noise levels in places such as 36th Street, O Street and P Street were discussed at the monthly Alliance for Local Living meeting, held at the Leavey Center on Tuesday. Both the Metropolitan Police Department Second District Commander Andrew Solberg and a representative from the D.C. Attorney General’s office were present to answer questions from university officials and local residents.
“One of the big issues was the that the west side of 36th Street between P and O transformed over last few years from what used to be faculty and graduate student residents to totally undergraduate residents and changed the complexion of the neighborhood dramatically. I used to live there, and I know these people haven’t slept in a year,” said Denise Cunningham, president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown.
The residents of Georgetown have also become less tolerant, Georgetown resident Lee Allard said.
“The neighborhood has become more proactive. Any party with noise, and five or six people will call [the police],” Allard said.
“They are very upset, more upset than I have ever seen them,” Solberg said. “I think people are fed up.”
embers of CAG, university administrators and others also met Feb. 6 to discuss how to deal with the increase in noise.
“[The Feb. 6 meeting] was a very productive meeting. It had good representation from MPD, the university, CAG and residents,” Cunningham said in an interview.
Ed Solomon, chair of the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said in an interview he sees progress in resolving the issue.
“It is constantly evolving how to address these issues,” he said. “I believe there has been some progress made.”
The university has taken a number of measures to combat the noise. The Student Neighborhood Assistance Program was expanded in the fall to include a Securitas security guard and a university staff member driving around the Georgetown neighborhood between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Securitas is an outside security company the university contracts for security work. The car tours the neighborhood with a blinking yellow light and responds to noise complaints. Georgetown University administrators are also working with MPD to launch an advertising campaign about loud parties and the possible punishment.
“The Securitas drivers provide a level of security. They act as eyes and ears of the neighborhood and also give students a ride if needed,” said Director of Off-Campus Student Life Charles VanSant. “They identify and prevent problems for students.”
Also part of the SNAP program is the university hotline, which is available 24 hours a day for neighborhood residents to call in complaints of noise to the Department of Public Safety.
Allard said the university’s efforts to reduce the noise are insufficient, saying she called the SNAP hotline a few times when it was first created and no one even answered the phone.
“We feel the university is failing to do its part,” she said.
“If I get a report through the hotline or SNAP or a direct call, I call in the students who live in that house into my office as a group and we talk about the situation. Students must abide by the Code of Conduct wherever they live,” VanSant said.
PD has also taken action to reduce the noise coming from late-night parties. In October, MPD increased foot patrols – dubbed a “party patrol” by Solberg .
“They have police out much more now. There has been a stricter police force.” said Andrew Benevento (COL ’08), a resident of 36th Street.
Benevento said he does not think noise is a problem.
“I have never seen students on this side of the street,” he said. “There are one or two houses that are loud but they are towards the end [of the block]. It is not our fault. We are not making that much noise, so there is no problem.”
“Almost all students are great neighbors, but there are few students that make a lot of noise and that makes the good student neighbors look bad,” VanSant said.
Allard said communication between students and permanent residents can improve the situation.
“More communication is key. That is what is important. We knocked on one door once of a loud party and they told us they didn’t even know that non-Georgetown students lived on their street,” he said. “I think we can coexist together. . We love living here; we’ve had great student friends.”
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