In an effort to bring area residents and students together in a forum where they can voice their concerns, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission will hold its monthly public meeting in cNeir Auditorium next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

This is the first time an ANC meeting has been held on Georgetown’s campus. Meetings are typically held the first Tuesday of each month at the adjacent Georgetown Visitation School.

ANC Commissioner Michael Glick (COL ’05) said that this marks an important step in town-gown relations.

“I think this meeting represents a willingness to work together and for the community to make an effort to understand a bit of what goes on around here,” Glick said. “Five years ago, this may not have been possible, but we have reached a point where discussion can take place and there’s willingness to compromise.”

The agenda for the meeting includes police deployment in the neighborhood, liquor licenses for local businesses, and planning and zoning matters.

Glick and fellow ANC Commissioner William Skelsey, who came up with the idea to have an on-campus ANC meeting, wrote a letter urging students to have their voices heard on issues regardless of their status as a locally-registered voter. The letter hailed the meeting as the start of “a new era in town-gown relations.”

Since over one-half of Skelsey’s constituents are students, he said he thought it would be important to find ways to connect with them.

“I am really looking forward to seeing many new faces in the audience and to hearing what they have to say about the issues of the community we share,” he said. “In the hour or two it would take to attend this Tuesday night’s meeting, students can see their local government at work, and hopefully even participate.”

According to Glick, having the meeting on campus will allow area residents to gain perspective and understanding of life at Georgetown. He also said he believes that it remains important for a significant number of students to attend.

“I would hope that students can come and see their local government in action, and see the passion with which many community residents attack these issues; it really is a lesson in civic participation,” he said.

Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, Government Professor Anthony Arend and GUSA President Brian orgenstern (COL ’05) are all expected to offer presentations during the Community Comment portion of the meeting.

Skelsey hopes that the first on-campus ANC meeting will not be the last. He encouraged students to attend various other community meetings held around Georgetown every week by groups such as the Alliance for Local Living, the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Burlieth Citizens Association who all “work very hard at making Georgetown a better place to live for everyone.”

The upcoming ANC meeting is being held in the midst of a controversy that began when leaders of the Citizens Association of Georgetown at a recent Alliance for Local Living meeting encouraged residents to film disruptive student behavior.