Release Date: 08-23-2002

UVM/City of Burlington Release Statement on Quality of Life Issues

Author: Jeffrey R Wakefield
Email: Jeffrey.Wakefield@uvm.edu
Phone: (802)656-2005 Fax: 802-656-3203

The University of Vermont and the city of Burlington held a joint press conference today at Contois Auditorium in Burlington to both acknowledge the progress that has been made in addressing off-campus student behavior and quality of life issues in recent years and to announce a series of new steps the city and university will be taking in these areas. Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle and UVM President Dan Fogel made remarks, as did John Badaracco, president of UVM’s Student Government Association, and Shawna Wells, SGA vice president.

A joint statement was released at the press conference, the text of which appears below.

JOINT STATEMENT ON STUDENT OFF-CAMPUS BEHAVIOR, QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES

The University of Vermont and the city of Burlington are notable for their interdependence, with each owing a part of its vitality, distinctiveness, and attractiveness to the other. UVM offers a spectrum of cultural, intellectual, and economic opportunities to the Burlington community. In turn, the city of Burlington is a key factor in drawing talented students, faculty, and staff to the university.

A sign of this healthy interdependence is the list of joint projects the two partners have embarked on in recent years – more than 100 to date – including the Rubenstein Science Lab/Lake Champlain Science Center joint initiative; the Community Outreach Partnership Center, which addresses socio-economic issues in the Old North End; and the Matter of Degree program, addressing alcohol abuse on campus and in the community through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Another sign of the partnership’s fundamental strength is the vigor – and effectiveness – with which UVM and the city have addressed issues of mutual concern, such as off-campus student behavior. UVM’s policy of communicating immediately with students with adjudicated violations resulted in only two repeat offenses in 150 incidents committed in 2001/2002. Last academic year, UVM Police Services provided limited patrols of neighborhoods abutting the campus to monitor noise and other disruptive behavior – and won a 2002 Law Enforcement Challenge from the Governor’s Highway Traffic Safety organization for its efforts. Working in partnership with the city, the university also initiated an Office of Conflict Resolution to mediate disputes, effectively turning around several problem houses last year in the process.

In addition to these proactive measures, the university and city have also worked in a preventive way on quality of life issues by forging an agreement that will result in 700 to 800 new beds added to the campus; a 200-bed project on the Redstone Campus is set to break ground in early 2003, and a 500- to 600-bed project at University Heights is in the active planning stages.

Much progress; more to be done

Clearly much progress has been made, and important efforts are ongoing. But more remains to be done. The City of Burlington and the University of Vermont would like to make an important announcement today outlining a series of action steps that we believe show the depth of our mutual commitment to addressing issues of off-campus student behavior and quality of life.

In all, nine new initiatives will be launched, beginning in the fall semester, all designed to tackle our mutual problems directly and expeditiously.

• In close cooperation with the mayor and with Burlington police, the university will expand its follow-up program to include an immediate contact with every student receiving a quality of life related citation, rather than waiting for that violation to be adjudicated. UVM will place students on notice that administrators are aware that a citation has been issued and that university disciplinary action may follow. As noted earlier, such interventions are very effective in preventing repeat offenses; the university will now be intervening much earlier.

• To make sure this policy of early intervention is as effective as it can be, the city will improve its police protocols to provide UVM with the information it needs to hold students accountable for their behavior.

• Once citations are adjudicated, UVM will initiate disciplinary action when appropriate within its code of student conduct. The outcomes of a disciplinary proceeding may range from a warning letter to dismissal from the university. This represents an unprecedented level of university commitment to taking institutional action directed toward off-campus student behavior.

• The city will strengthen its Noise Ordinance, increasing fines, particularly for violations involving noisy house parties.

• The university will also use other means at its disposal to deal with problem behavior, including early and direct intervention with “problem houses” by university officials in cooperation with city officials and notification of parents for student alcohol and drug-related violations, under the protocols of federal student privacy law.

• All UVM students will receive a direct communication from the university president notifying them of their responsibilities both on and off campus and outlining the serious consequences of problem behaviors.

• On a pilot basis for the Fall semester, UVM’s Campus Area Transportation System will provide service between the campus and downtown Burlington until 2:30 am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in an effort to reduce late-night student foot traffic through neighborhoods.

• For the first time, police officers from the university and the city will work in concert – via joint patrols – to address off-campus student behavior issues, with Burlington police issuing citations if necessary. The teams will patrol targeted neighborhoods on high activity nights, especially in early Fall and late Spring.

• The city will file public nuisance actions in Chittenden Superior Court against landlords and tenants when notices and tickets fail to stop disruptive behavior or blighted conditions.

The quality of life in Burlington is important not only to city residents, but to the University of Vermont, as well. UVM students are a positive asset to the community, and the vast majority are good and productive citizens. As in most university towns, though, conflicts inevitably arise. The steps outlined today represent effective strategies for addressing chronic problems, and both Mayor Clavelle and President Fogel look forward to working closely with city officials, local residents, and students to improve and strengthen this vibrant community.