Suffolk University’s John Nucci, Vice-President of Government and Community Affairs, was invited by the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA) to speak about quality of life and loud party issues as a result of students living in the neighborhood. Nucci spent about 30 minutes at the January 9th NEWRA meeting discussing the steps that the university is taking to control Suffolk students. View the above video for the complete discussion.
Nucci said that Suffolk responds to loud parties through a paid Boston Police detail that patrols the neighborhood on weekend nights when school is in session. A Suffolk University representative, Rich Grelich, also rides in the police car to take names for disciplinary action. Nucci said they take a strong stance against students disrespecting police or residents. The Suffolk car also coordinates with other local colleges, including Emerson and Boston University. If the loud parties are by young professionals, those cases are turned over to Sgt. Thomas Lema at Boston Police.
Approximately 270 Suffolk students currently live in the North End out of about 1,200 that live throughout Boston. Only about 24% of Suffolk undergraduate students are in university housing with a goal to reach 50% in five years. The increased percentage is intended to reduce students, especially freshman and sophomores, living in private neighborhood apartments.
Residents can call 617-549-7503 or email hotline@suffolk.edu to reach the Suffolk 24-hour Loud Party hotline.
Excellent presentation! Suffolk University has and continues to take action when it comes to harmonious community relations. From personal experience we can unequivocally praise the prompt, professional and courteous manner in which the matter was handled.
Thank you Suffolk–
I think we would cure a lot of problems in the No. End if we apply the Orange Sticker Method that
they are using in Providence & the surrounding areas in R.I., whether they be students, young
professionals, or SENIOR CITIZENS.
The orange sticker policy in Narragansett RI (near URI) is absolutely effective. Tenants get one stern warning from the police and if there’s another offense, they get a large orange sticker on their door which cannot be removed for the rest of their lease. If there are additional violations while the sticker is in place, both the landlord and the tenants are fined, with the penalty increasing significantly with each additional offense.
As a result, we’ve found the students actually introduce themselves to their new neighbors when they move in, in an effort to prevent any problems with the police should they have a party. IE, they’ll say “my name is john, if there’s every an issue with our house, please call me first and I’ll take care of it.” The students are terrified of getting the orange stickers not only because of the fines, but also many landlords include language in their leases that gives them the right to terminate the lease if they get an orange sticker. If kids lose their housing mid semester, they’re screwed. It’s not just mom and dad writing a check – in some cases they have nowhere to live.
It also creates a database of sorts for the police department. They don’t take first time violations that seriously, but if it’s a repeat offender they’re all over it and show up within minutes. The sticker also can be seen from the street – when a cop is on patrol if they see a ton of cars in a driveway or hear noise coming from a house with a sticker, they knock on the door even if noone has called it in.
This area of RI is mostly residential with single family homes. Obviously it would be a little different to implement in an area like the north end where there are mostly 4-5 unit buildings but the strategy is effective.
There goes our property value!!