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Off-campus Student Expectations
Introduction:
During the spring semester 2009, the Office of General Counsel and the Dean of Students have responded to concerns expressed by neighbors in Brookland about students living in "absentee landlord" houses in the community. CUA has responded to those concerns by continuing to communicate openly with neighbors on the Brookland listserv; by working with the Metropolitan Police Department, CUA Public Safety and the office of Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.; and by meeting with all students identified by neighbors as possibly causing disruptions in the community. More information on the CUA response is included in the material that follows.
The policies of the university apply to students wherever they choose to live. CUA requires that all freshmen and sophomores, with few exceptions, live on campus in addition to providing rooms to a substantial number of junior and senior undergraduates. In fact, the university provides 2204 beds through 17 on-campus dormitory buildings and an additional 400 bed facility will open in 2009. None the less, during their junior and/or senior year(s), some students choose to move off campus and into both the Brookland Community and the surrounding District of Columbia metropolitan area.
Recognizing the unusual impact that CUA students have on the Brookland Community, the university has created "Off Campus but Not Off the Map: Some neighborly advice for Off-Campus Students" to give students a better understanding of their role as members of the CUA and local community.
Additionally, The Office of the Vice President for Student Life has created the policy "Expectations for Student Off-Campus Behavior and Living." This policy outlines the expectations for CUA students when they leave the CUA campus and become members of the broader District of Columbia community. This policy also outlines the university procedure for the disciplining of properties (those properties leased to CUA students known to the university as having caused disturbances within the Brookland community) and how students living in such properties are sanctioned for disruptive behavior.
What to do when students are violating university policy or D.C. law
On March 20, 2009, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Jonathan Sawyer sent the following message to all undergraduate students at CUA:
"Dear Students,
Over the course of the past week, I have responded to numerous inquiries by our neighbors in the Brookland community regarding the university's role in managing student behavioral issues occurring off-campus. I have been very clear in my communications that "neighborhood" issues are CUA issues which we try our best to work with neighbors and our students to resolve, whether they are due to misbehavior on the part of our students, neighborhood crime, concerns with local establishments, or other.
I have reinforced with our neighbors that CUA sets high expectations for student behavior, communicates those expectations to students, and enforces them. I have also indicated that in addition to notifying CUA, community members should report illegal conduct (e.g. public intoxication, disorderly conduct, public urination, littering, etc.) to the Metropolitan Police Department so that they may respond to disruptive behaviors within the community at the time of the disruption.
As a student, you have the right to enjoy all aspects of life at CUA, including life in the surrounding neighborhoods, and to take advantage of the many opportunities available to you. At the same time, you accept certain responsibilities as a member of the CUA community, including practicing responsible citizenship and conducting yourself in a manner that is compatible with the expectations of you as an adult citizen and member of the CUA community.
As a member of the CUA community who lives or visits outside the physical boundaries of the university, you represent the university to people who form an impression of CUA students based on your behavior. Loud music, large parties, trash in the yard, and not properly maintaining an off-campus property are extremely disruptive to our community.
Please remember that most of our neighbors are not students. They are professionals, retirees, families with young children, and long-term residents of the community. You may be a transitory figure in the community, but our neighbors are not. Each year the residents of Brookland must adjust to a new group of students living among them. As such, the negative actions of just one group of students can have a lasting impact on the community as a whole.
Earlier today, Sgt. Wayne Steinhilber of the Metropolitan Police Department posted the message below to a Brookland listserv. I thought it important to share this message with the undergraduate population so that all students have a better sense of these important issues.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Sawyer"
On March 18, 2009, Dean Sawyer also communicated with neighbors in Brookland as follows:
"Dear Neighbors:
Earlier this week, there were several postings on this listserv regarding concerns about CUA student behaviors. The university, through my office, continues to address reports of student misbehavior both on and off campus, both proactively through education and outreach and reactively after complaints are received.
We set expectations for student behavior, communicate those expectations to students, and enforce them. At the same time, we do not and cannot control everything that some of our students or their guests may do. Incidents and conduct (public intoxication, disorderly conduct, public urination, littering, etc.) that have recently been described in postings should be reported to the Metropolitan Police Department so that they may respond to disruptive behaviors within the community at the time of the disruption.
As a matter of practice, my staff follows up with off-campus incidents and concerns (specific to a student or to a property where students reside) that are reported to my office. As such, please feel free to contact my office at 202-319-5619 or me directly at sawyerj@cua.edu to report issues that may require additional intervention on our part.
To assist in our efforts to follow up with students, it is most helpful for reports to include the following information:
- Date, time, and specific location of the event or behavioral concern;
- Specific details of the behaviors witnessed
- Contact information (email and/or telephone) for the reporting person
- Details related to any report filed with MPD (or any other jurisdiction), including a report number if available. If this information is not available, it is helpful for us to know the time that a report was made so that we can attempt to follow up with MPD and determine any actions taken at the time of the incident. "
From time to time, the university receives inquiries from the Brookland neighborhood about how best to communicate concerns regarding student behavior in the neighborhood to the university.
As a matter of practice, the Dean of Students' staff follows up as noted above.Craig Parker, General Counsel and Associate Vice President for Community and Government Relations, is responsible for neighborhood/community relations at CUA. Craig can be reached at parker@cua.edu.
Please feel free to contact the Dean of Students, Jon Sawyer, directly at sawyerj@cua.edu should he be of further assistance. Last Revised 01-Apr-09 09:58 AM.
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