A-B, BC dispute parties

A fractured relationship between Allston-Brighton residents and Boston College students further deteriorated last week as residents insisted that the city and BC end students' late-night rowdiness that has "made life intolerable."

Student parties are ruining their quality of life, residents said in a letter to the mayor's office and Boston College. More people are drinking and there were more disorderly houses around Cleveland Circle this summer than ever before, according to the letter. More than 50 A-B residents signed a petition supporting the letter.

"The situation here continues to worsen," said Karen Marshall, who has lived on Lane Park for 20 years and started the petition. "There have been many cases of student disturbances, but it's the worst it has ever been. We didn't used to have all these loud parties and drunken people walking back and forth at all hours of the night shouting and stumbling."

In response to his constituents' letter, City Councilor Jerry McDermott (Allston, Brighton) promised to move quickly to control disturbances created by partying college students.

"We're going to be stepping up patrols in the area," he said. "There's going to be a zero-tolerance policy. Everyone involved in a party that has illegalities involved is getting pinched. If you over 21, fine, but if you are not, there won't be any leniency."

McDermott also accused BC of not taking enough responsibility for its students. He said BC needs more than two community affairs directors to supervise the entire off-campus student community.

"Boston College can do a better job getting the messages out to their students," he said. "They only have two officials running their off-campus community. They need more employees to hear the complaints and go to the parties and regulate the kids.

"It's just not fair we are babysitting these off-campus kids with our tax dollars and resources. BC can't collect 42,000 dollars and not let us sleep at night," he said.

BC spokesman Jack Dunn did not return phone calls seeking comment. BC does not guarantee four years of housing for all of its undergrdaute students. Many of them elect to move into the neighboring Brighton community, just east of the campus boundaries.

William Evans, police captain of the Allston-Brighton District-14, agreed that there have been more student party incidents this year.

"Community meeting after community meeting, these taxpaying, hard-working families relay to me that night after night, rowdy students walk through their neighborhood and keep them and their young children from sleeping," he said. "We definitely take this plea for help by the residents seriously, and we will be focusing on the people causing these disturbances."

Ryan Heffernan, editor-in-chief of BC's student newspaper The Heights, said he believes that off-campus students and the BC administration are unfairly targeted by the residents and the city.

"Over the years the neighbors have let this tension build up, and now they refuse to believe that BC administration and students sincerely want to be good residents," he said. "They've turned this into an 'us' versus 'them' battle. Now they harp on anything they can find. After this complaint, in the next few weeks, it will be something else. It would be helpful if we could work together, instead of pointing fingers."

Heffernan also said McDermott and A-B residents don't acknowledge the great contributions that BC and its students make to the community.

"Councilor McDermott needs to do a better job on reaching out to students. He continues to harp on BC and its students for being what he believes to be bad neighbors," he said. "Our university's track record speaks to the contrary. Many of our students are active in the area, volunteering and heading community services groups. If BC and its students were to just leave, the A-B community and its economy would be negatively affected."

Gary Cormier, who signed the petition from A-B residents, said he believes this is a problem that affects the entire community and city as a whole, and believes the absentee landlords need to share more responsibility.

"I believe that the negligent absentee landlords should be called to a meeting and held responsible for what goes on in their properties," he said. "Students are causing the problem, but they are young and get carried away. As the current situation is, it cannot stand. We need help to find a way to co-exist."

The tension between college students and the city and its residents seems to be rising this fall, as the A-B resident petition adds to a growing list of complaints filed against college students.

Residents of the North End recently asked the city to intervene and stop similar late-night rowdiness and disturbances they claim were caused by college students.

Councilor Stephen Murphy last week called for colleges to pay a $100 stipend for each of its students because [the City of Boston] "is putting out people and resources mainly because you [universities] can't control your own students."

Heffernan, a senior, said the friction between the city and college students is worse than usual.

"Relations between students and city seem to be at its lowest point since I've been here," he said.

"Every time a quality-of-life issue comes up like this both sides walk away from the discussions unsatisfied," he said. "The baggage gets larger on both sides."

McDermott, however, said the relationship between the city and its colleges has not changed, and that the issues they confront now have existed for a long period of time.

"I don't believe the relationship has become more strained than before," he said. "Throughout the years these issues have always been percolating, and now they just bubbled to the surface because of the press coverage."