UGBC Senate Off-Campus Report

Each year, thousands of Boston College students move off-campus to live in the area around the university. Navigating off-campus life can and often will be challenging for the students who choose or are forced to live there by limited on-campus housing. Landlords, real estate agents, the police, criminals, and the like are all new experiences for many students.

The point of this report is the present our best estimate about what is currently happening off-campus. We relied on conversations with students, administrators, residents, and police officials for our information and did our best to present the best overall picture based on the information we compiled. This was, of course, no easy task. However, we are confident that the following is the best possible product we could produce under the circumstances.

The report is broken up into five sections:

The first, the Introduction, includes an explanation of what some students have referred to as “TABgate,” an incident revolving around an article that appeared in the Allston-Brighton TAB in August 2007 that led students to believe the university had adopted a new, more aggressive policing policy. If there was a starting point to student investigation of the off-campus situation, it was the TAB article.

The second, Who Policies Our Streets, is an explanation of the different individuals and authorities who patrol the off-campus neighborhoods around Boston College. It is an overview of both university and Boston Police protocol regarding off-campus parties. It also includes statistics concerning student incidents related to off-campus student behavior from 2006 and 2007.

The third, Crime Statistics and Our Ride-Along, documents crime statistics from the area around Boston College. It also provides a detailed account of our ride-along with the Boston Police Department that took place on the night of January 31, 2008/morning of February 1, 2008.

The fourth, Testimonials, is a collection of both student and resident stories concerning off-campus life and behavior. The fifth and final section of our report is the recommendations of our committee. We believe that the adoption of these recommendations, drafted by the committee both during the investigation and after, would be the best possible solution to many of the problems that we encountered during our investigation.

The situation off-campus is, at best, complicated. Both the university and the residents of Brighton are right when they say that student behavior can be unbecoming and warrants discipline, be it by the police or by the university. But this committee also understands students when they take issue with the way in which the streets are policed and the manner in which they are dealt with by the university and the police.

We hope this report will be accepted by all, understood by many. There is no easy solution to the problems that transpire from students living off-campus. If and when the Master Plan is adopted, the amount of students living off-campus will of course decrease. But until then, something clearly needs to be done and we hope that this report is a positive step in the direction of opening up dialogue that will hopefully create reasonable and pragmatic solutions to our collective problems as a community.

It is important to note that, for progress to be made, the wall that divides the Boston College and Brighton community must come down. Once we destroy this wall, it seems possible that we can bridge the communication gap that we believe feeds into many of the problems we currently face. We hope this report and the dialogue we hope to inspire in the comings weeks and months is the first step in a new direction.

Download the full Off-Campus Report here!

Addressing Off Campus Student Behavior:
A Message from the Dean for Student Development

Welcome to the start of the fall semester and the beginning of what I trust will be an exciting and rewarding year. I encourage you to be an active member in the Boston College community this year and make positive contributions to both the BC community and the community at large.

One way to make such a contribution is to get involved in initiatives and activities on campus. There are a number of exciting new programs underway at Boston College that can provide you with opportunities to contribute to a positive campus and community climate:

• Nights on the Heights: A number of exciting late night, alcohol-free programs are being planned on campus and will be scheduled every weekend. The goal is to provide alternative opportunities for students to socialize on campus in an environment that is not dependant upon alcohol. To see a schedule of weekly events go to www.bc.edu/nights. You can also sign up to receive weekly updates of on campus programs. If you’d like to get involved in planning programs, contact Erin Goulding, Program Coordinator, in the Office of the Dean for Student Development, 21 Campanella Way, Suite 212.
• UGBC: Get involved in student government as an avenue to have a voice in University initiatives.
• Clubs and organizations: If you are seeking new ways to get involved and connect with other students, check out the list of student clubs and organizations at www.bc.edu/clubdirectory or visit the Campus Green (a/k/a Dust Bowl) on Student Activities Day, Friday, September 14.
• Alcohol Task Force: The task force addresses alcohol-related issues, including education, policy enforcement, and alcohol free programs. For more information, contact Robyn Priest, Assistant Dean for Alcohol and Drug Education, ODSD.
• Campus Community Partnership Initiative: The CCPI seeks to foster partnership between BC and our surrounding neighborhoods to address alcohol use among students and promote positive student-neighbor relations. For more information, contact Robyn Priest, Assistant Dean for Alcohol and Drug Education, ODSD.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of policies and practices regarding living and socializing in off-campus neighborhoods. Boston College students continually make positive contributions to the community, are respectful citizens and good neighbors, obey the laws, and understand the responsibility they have to the University and the community at large. Unfortunately, every year there are a small number of students who have difficulty understanding this responsibility, thus presenting a challenge to all of us. As Boston College continues to work to build a more positive relationship with our neighbors, it is our expectation that the behavior of our students will reflect favorably on themselves and their families, as well as on Boston College as a Jesuit and Catholic university. Being a “good neighbor” should not be just a catch phrase, but something we should all strive for because it is the right, and just, thing to do!

The Boston College Student Guide holds students accountable for their behavior both on and off campus. The Boston Police, as well as the BC Police and University officials, will be patrolling local neighborhoods to prevent disruptive behavior by students inside or outside of local houses and apartments. The Boston Police Department has instituted a “zero tolerance policy” and will be enforcing the law aggressively throughout the year.

So please keep in mind:

• The Boston College Student Code of Conduct holds all students responsible for their behavior on and off campus; you are expected to abide by all University regulations as well as state and city laws.
• Any student who is documented or arrested for off campus behavioral problems will be called into the Dean’s office. Any student who is arrested and determined to be responsible for the violation will be facing a minimum sanction of University Probation.
• Keep in mind that decisions that you make this year will impact you not just now but in the future as well. A University disciplinary record can impact:
  • Your ability to study abroad your junior year
  • Where you live your sophomore and/or senior year
  • Your ability to continue as a student at Boston College
  • Your ability to get into law school or medical school
• Remember that many of the apartments and houses surrounding BC house non-students, including retired couples and families with young children. They have a right to a respectful living experience not disrupted by our students.

We want you to have a great year both academically and socially. We also expect you to be a responsible and respectful member of both the BC community and the community at large. Together we can work to create an environment off-campus that is respectful of the rights of all. Thank you.

Emergency Response Team

In an effort to enhance the safety and security of all members of the BC community, the University has created an Emergency Response Team to respond to any emergency situation that threatens the well being of students, faculty and staff. The Emergency Response Team has created an emergency website called BC/Prepared(link attached) that will serve as a resource for BC community in the event of an emergency situation. As the website states, the University has instant text messaging capability that will enable us to communicate with community members by broadcasting text messages to personal cell phones. As a result, we ask that all students, faculty and staff provide their cell phone for this important service by visiting Agora. In addition to the website and text messaging service, students both on and off campus can also seek information and updates from BCInfo and the BC Info line at 617-552-INFO.

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