Message to the Community About Off-Campus Student Life
Duke official provides details about measures taken at the start of the school year
Monday, August 29, 2005
Durham, N.C. -- As fall semester is upon us, Duke students will be returning to
campus and nearby neighborhoods in the next few weeks. Let me share
with you what we are doing to try to help make the return of
students to school a harmonious, safe experience for all.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta and Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek will visit student renters in neighborhoods near East Campus to introduce themselves and engage students in conversation about their opportunities to be good neighbors and citizens. In addition, student and neighborhood representatives of Blue SPARC (Study to Prevent Alcohol Related Consequences -- a statewide research study) plan to hand out door hangers with safety tips, information about high-risk drinking and pertinent city ordinances to student renters in Trinity Park and Trinity Heights. Students have responded well to this in the past.
Durham Police have told us they intend to fully enforce local laws and ordinances, especially as they pertain to underage drinking. For the next several weekends we expect them to stress a no-tolerance approach to set the scene for the academic year. Durham Police have also been encouraged to call upon Duke Police to respond to situations involving students off-campus in neighborhoods near campus. Captain Eddie Sarvis of District II has told us he plans to send home letters to parents of students cited for criminal charges involving underage alcohol consumption and noise violations issued to hosts and/or guests.
This is also a good time to mention a new program coordinator position created in the Dean of Students Office within Student Affairs. There has been some talk - and misinformation -- about what this position will entail. This person, who will be hired this fall, will assist in the administration of the university's disciplinary process for undergraduates, especially off-campus students. This individual will also serve as a resource to off-campus students and Durham residents in promoting better town-gown relations. Vice President Larry Moneta stated this past spring that he would start to bring all students cited by Durham Police into the campus judicial process. He will also release a report each semester summarizing how those cases were resolved. To protect student privacy, no names will be used. As this position is a new one, some details are still being worked out, but I hope you will agree that this is a positive step to help strengthen ! the relationship between our communities.
Finally, since Duke does not have legal jurisdiction over students who live off campus, our primary efforts have been focused on making the on-campus social scene a more inviting one. Numerous activities and events have been planned especially for the first few weeks of school and we hope that increasing numbers of students will be attracted to these on campus social and recreational opportunities.
We hope that these measures, in concert with student/resident get-togethers being coordinated by community leader and Duke alumnus Josh Parker, will result in a good start to the new year.
If you have questions or concerns, I invite you to call or email me. If I can't answer your question, I will put you in touch with the person at Duke who can.
Sincerely,
Michael Palmer
Director of Community Affairs
668-6274 or Michael.palmer@duke.edu
