Thursday, Dec. 2
Much progress:'still a way to go'
by Mary Somers
The neighbours have given HÂþ» a passing grade for Community Relations 101, but noted on its report card that there is still room for improvement. That was the consensus of community members, who attended a Nov. 22 Neighbourhood Meeting. HÂþ» 80 neighbours and students joined President Tom Traves for the two-hour meeting in University Hall. It was co-hosted by Vice-Presidents Dale Godsoe (External) and Eric McKee (Student Services). Most of the 29 members of the HÂþ» University Community Committee(DUCC) turned out as well.
The meeting was a much calmer affair than the one held a year ago when frustration boiled over in the neighbourhoods about noise and the behaviour on the part of some students. President Traves announced the formation of the DUCC at that meeting. It has a mandate to improve the relationship between the University and the surrounding neighbourhoods and has met regularly since last winter. (See for more informationon the DUCC and community relations at Dal.)
The consensus of the meeting seemed to be that HÂþ»'s efforts, those of the neighbours, and the city, have resulted in improvements, in some cases significant, but that there is still work to be done. Neighbour Owen Carrigan, who lives near Studley Campus, said he noticed a substantial difference in noise levels this past fall. HÂþ» and the HRM Police had "stepped up to the plate" in September with initiatives such as Operation Fallback - a zero tolerance policy by police for noise and liquor violations. A sustained police presence is needed beyond the end of the busy September period, Carrigan said.
He felt a major problem is the noise created by students coming home to the neighourhoods near the universities from the bars downtown between midnight and 3 a.m. The noise they make wakes the neighours. Neighbour Michael Conde, who lives near the Sexton Campus, said the situation is "vastly improved this year." He said it is first and second-year students, who do not know how to behave properly in the neighbourhoods. He suggested that upper year students should be linked to younger ones to teach them how to live in the community.
Not everyone felt there had been improvement. Catherine Stevens Doane, a Studley Campus neighbour and a DUCC member, said she was glad she had the opportunity to sit on the committee, but she doesn't think enough progress has been made. She cited student noise late at night, parking, garbage and future campus development plans as problem areas that still need to be addressed.
Chief Frank Beazley of the HRM Police, who attended the meeting as a guest, said the DUCC is unique at a university in the region. HÂþ» and the DUCC members should be very proud of the collaborative work they have done to date, he said. Chief Beazley said his staff is reviewing noise bylaws from across Canada to see how noise complaints are handled in other jurisdiction. And he told the neighbours to phone and complain to the police about hooliganism and vandalism. "You have to complain or we don't know the issues," he told the meeting.
The President of the University of King's College Student Union, Colin Burn, said students do understand the problems and they want to be treated as part of the community. They are, he said, a major asset because they make a huge contribution to the economic and cultural sectors of Halifax. President Traves closed the meeting by thanking everyone who attended for their excellent suggestions. He also committed the university to undertaking continued student education about living in the community, to working with neighbourhood groups and to putting some resources in place to deal with the late night noise from students coming home from the downtown bars.
"We could make Halifax a leader in this area," he said. "We will return to you a year from now. I sense there is something positive happening here."