Minutes

Present: A. Barberet, P. Barry, T. Callahan, B. Clouette, E. Daniels, R. Hudd, AJ Pappanikou, E. Paterson, L. Schilling, W. Simpson

Staff: J. Bell-Elkins, M. Berliner, S. Cox, M. Hart, G. Padick

1. Opportunity for Public to Address the Committee

Council member Christopher Paulhus addressed the committee with respect to off-campus student parties. He would like our residents to know that the town is using all available resources to crack down on problem parties, and that we recognize this is no longer a small problem. It is no longer just a town or a university issue – it is a community issue. We need to address the problem now. The students think that they are invincible, and they need to know that they are subject to a code of conduct. The Town Council and the Mayor are frustrated. He would like to thank SGT Cox for doing an outstanding job with limited resources.

2. July 13, 2004 Meeting Minutes

Philip Barry made a motion, seconded by Bill Simpson, to approve the minutes from September 14, 2004 as corrected by Matt Hart. Matt Hart explained that the minutes need to be corrected under Item 4, Update re: UConn 2000 Act Projects, to reflect that the text refers to the “pharmacy/biology” building as opposed to the “pharmacy” building. The motion passed unanimously.

3. Update re: Mansfield Downtown Partnership

Cynthia van Zelm reported that the Partnership’s Festival on the Green event went very well, and that the planning committee intends to conduct a debriefing meeting on November 1^st. Also, the Storrs Center development team plans to conduct a public presentation to show the proposed design, and to solicit feedback.

4. Community-Campus Partnership on Substance Abuse

The Mayor reported that she and Julie Bell-Elkins were in the process of scheduling the inaugural meeting of the partnership, and that they hoped to conduct the meeting in early November.

5. Community Quality of Life Issues/Spring Weekend

AJ Pappanikou asked whether it was legal for the police to film improper conduct and behavior. SGT Cox said that it was. Pappanikou recommended the university consider using expulsion more frequently. We still need to respect due process, but the procedure should be expedited. Students need to accept responsibility for their behavior.

Pappanikou made a motion, seconded by Audrey Barberet, to ask the university to consider to revising the student code of conduct to include expulsion as a sanction for certain behavior. Bill Simpson stated that he thought that expulsion was already possible, and, if that is the case, would the maker of the motion be looking for a more expeditious process? Pappanikou answered in the affirmative.

Tom Callahan stated that he could support and accept the motion. A few things: one, the code of conduct has only recently been applied to off-campus conduct and the university has begun to enforce the code more rigorously; and, second, what he cannot address is how long the process takes once a referral has been made to the Dean of Students. He will check with the Dean to get the data and report back to the committee. Also, we need to be just as vigilant with non-students. If a student from another university is arrested or cited with an infraction, we should check to see if the home institution would apply its code of conduct.

Bruce Clouette seconded Tom’s comments. The problem is multifaceted. The probability of a student receiving negative consequences is pretty low, so punitive measures are not always a true deterrent. Unless you can ramp up your enforcement to include more students, you will have limited impact. That being said, there are other small measures that we can do, measures that would involve landlords, package store owners and other parties. We need to take a broad view.

At this point, Mayor Paterson introduced Julie Bell-Elkins, Dean of Students. Tom Callahan asked Julie about Pappanikou’s motion. Julie answered that as soon as the office receives a report, it determines whether the alleged behavior is a violation of the code and formulates a charge letter. They then send the letter to the student within a week. Regarding disposition, many times the office is able to reach an agreement with the student. If the violation is more severe, the matter is referred to judicial for a hearing. Once the hearing has been conducted, judicial is normally able to make a determination within a few hours. Every case is different. Sometimes a matter will take a just a few days to resolve, other issues will take several weeks. The standard is three to four weeks.

Tom Callahan asked how the university detaches criminal charges from violations of the code. Julie explained that when the two charges intersect, as long as there is no interference, they operate simultaneously. There are different burdens of proof. With a violation of the student code you are looking for clear and convincing evidence as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt for a criminal charge.

Bruce Clouette asked if in the case in which a student has been cited for a violation of a town ordinance, would that be handled in a similar fashion? Generally, yes.

The Mayor called the question and Pappanikou’s motion passed unanimously.

Phil Barry stated that he agrees the problem is multifaceted. Kegs are a problem. Would it be possible to pass an ordinance outlawing the sale of kegs except in restaurants and bars? Bruce Clouette said that he is not sure that power is within the town’s authority. SGT Cox said that Carriage House does prohibit kegs and the issue has several prongs. One prong is that kegs are indeed a problem, but so are backpacks full of beer suitcases. Cans from suitcases create an environmental problem. A second prong is the lack of facilities to hold a large party –students come to him looking for suggestions. A third prong is the lack of parental involvement and a fourth is the “rape trail” from campus to Carriage House. Town and university police are working with the Dean of Students to implement a more holistic approach.

Phil Barry followed up on the facility issue, and asked if the parking garage could become a venue for parties? SGT Cox said that more controlled environment would be beneficial. Bill Simpson said that if we regulate kegs in town, students will just go elsewhere to make their purchases. Eddie Daniels pointed out that is already illegal to sell alcohol without a permit, so he is not sure what the ordinance would accomplish. Phil replied that the problem is the illegal sale by purchasers of kegs, and we need to get at package store owners.

Bruce Clouette added that it would be good to regulate or restrict the sale. The sale of quantity containers is the problem – it does not matter whether it is in kegs or not. Tom Callahan asked if Carriage House has levied fines for kegs. SGT Cox explained that they had. Tom asked if they notified the parents? SGT Cox believes that they do. The holistic approach to enforcement is the way to go, but the student is the key. The student needs to know that there are consequences, and certain behavior offenses should justify rapid expulsion.

Audrey Barberet asked what other universities do? Mayor Paterson said that she has sent out a survey to the National League of Cities’ University Caucus asking for other approaches. Hopefully, she will have some feedback within a month.

Tom Callahan stated that part of the discussion comes out of the earlier work of the work of the substance abuse task force and subsequent town/university relations subcommittee. It is not a mistake that events occur on properties owned by absentee landlords. There are a variety of issues that need attention.

Chief Hudd echoed Tom’s comments. They had met with Carriage House management early on, and he is not sure what they have done besides hiring officers on private duty. At least we have succeeded in putting all of the parties at one location – the problem used to be parties at multiple locations. The recent Northeast Magazine article did not mention the positive developments. Tucson, Arizona has visited Storrs to learn how we control crowds – the “get tough” policy has problems and limitations. Cultural issues are also a factor. We need to use a holistic enforcement approach because of that limitation.

Mayor Paterson commented that every student who moves into Carriage House is aware of the environment. This is a factor and we need to change the attraction and the allure. AJ Pappanikou added that the difference toady is the destruction of property and the attitude toward law enforcement.

6. Other

None.

The committee adjourned the meeting at 5:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Matthew Hart

Minutes

Assistant Town Manager