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Home My WebLink About09-29-1998 ArticlesLocal Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998 Iowa City Press-Citizen University of Iowa · Student leaders ' to meet council The University of Iowa Student Government leaders will meet with Iowa City coun- cilors to discuss several issues student govenunent leaders say is important to both parties. The meeting is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the R. Wayne Richey Ballroom of the Iowa Memorial Union. The meeting is open to the public. Brian White, UISG presi- dent, says the goal of the meet- lng is to discuss safety issues and to let the city's councilors and indirectly, UI administra- tors, know UI students want to be involved in discussing issues that affect the student body. Among the issues that will · Lighting on campus and in the surrounding areas of Iowa City. · Iowa City Police and UI student relationS, progress of the Iowa City Police Citizen's Review Board and the city's efforts to curb gang activity. · Transit issues, iecluding Iowa City bus routes and sched- ules, the UI Safewalk program, pedestrian safety and Saferide, Iowa City's late night ride pro- gram. For information call UISG xt 335-3860. · Page 13A Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998 Iowa City Press-Citizen Our view When University of Iowa fraternities pledged to ban lhe issue: alcohol from their houses -- · Fraternity alcohol ban III andcity a year before they would be pushes UI parties off forced to do so -- no one campus. assumed the greeks also had taken a temperance pledge. We suggest: So let's get beyond our · We'll never stop drink- feigned surprise over an must work apparent increase in loud, ing parties, butwecan raucous off-campus parties, ease the impact on And let's deal with what neighbors. That should to do about them. be our focus. First, who's responsible v u-ar':es for off-campus greek par- on ties? That's tough, because members are ready to recon- the answer is everybody -- sider a long-debated ordi- and nobody, nance that would give police The Interfraternity more authority to shut down Council and UI must share troublesome parties. some blame. If fraternity Key provisions would members are going to drink, give police the authority to and the council and UI won't respond without resident let them do it in the fratemi- complaints, as well as the ty houses, obviously parties authority to break up a pafly are going to be pushed into to restore order. the community. Council member Karen But they aren't entirely to Kubby and others are wot- blame, either, because ried a new ordinance with there's no hard evidence that such provisions would be the parties upsetting neigh- used to single out students. bors are related at all to fra-We share that concern. temities. No doubt some are. Investigation and enforce- No doubt a lot aren't, merit should be even-hand- Nick Mauro, council ed. A loud, disturbing party president, says his organiza- with participants trashing the tion is going to take a hard neighborhood and urinating look at the events. And pun- in residents' yards ought to ishment won't necessarily be be stopped. Students, adults, based on whether the party is it doesn't matter. officially sanctioned by a fra-If police are patrolling the ~.¢mity or on whether the fra- entire community, as they temity president attends, should, students won't be Good attitude. And the singled out. And complain- potential punishments -- up ing neighbors of non-student to campus ouster-- ought to parties will help keep police have an impact, honest. But Mauro has to demon- Let's be realistic. We're a strate the council is serious, college town. Drinking par- too. We're waiting for that. ties aren't new, and no regu- University officials ought lations or laws will stop to carefully monitor the them. council's actions and be But no one should have to ready to step in, when neces- put up with loud, all-night sary. parties on a regular basis, Second, what about the and we can try to ease the parties that clearly don't impact on neighbors. involve greeks? That's where That's fain That's right. Iowa City steps in. Council And that's what we nmst do. Daily lowan Council to mull over loud-party ordinance * The proposed measure would allow the police to charge residents without a neighbor's complaint. By Steven Cook Thc Daily Iowan A proposed city ordinance will make it easier for tM Iowa City police to charge residents with keeping a disorderly house -- but one officer wonders whether that's necessary. The ordinance would be expanding upon the current law that allows police officers and tM general public -- not just neighbors -- to lodge complaints. However, police Lt. Ron Fort said, police officers can already intervene if they see crimes being committed on private property, including people possessing alcohol spilling out onto the sidewalk -- or out into the street. In the case of parties that are merely loud, the police can't step in without a complaint, but Fort said that may be fine. "We have the right to stop and talk to anybody we want," he said. "But if there is loud music and nobody is complaining, why should we care?" Under the proposed ordinance, police officers would be able to cite the property owner, or the people in control of the party, with keeping a disorderly house; the charge is a simple misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $100. The police would also have the power to order the party be dispersed. Iowa City city councilors are scheduled to discuss the proposal at tonight's work session. If the councilors decide to keep the ordinance alive, a public hearing would be set for the Oct. 6 formal council meeting, said Eleanor Dilkes, Iowa City city attorney. The entire approval process could take two months. In addition to allowing police officers to cite parties without complaints from neighbors, the change would also broaden the offenses that can be cited to include conduct that "threatens injury to persons or damage to property.' One such case would be ifpartiers move into a neighboring yard and cause damage. At present, if the neighbors aren't home or no complaint is lodged, the police can't do anything. In the few cases in which police officers think they would need to step in, but currently cannot, Fort said I 0£2 9/21/98 11:14 AM Daily lowm~ he would be in favor of the change in ordinance. "We need to be given the power to reach these parties that are out of control and shut them down before nyone gets hurt," he said. The proposed ordinance grew out of a 1997 "Alternative to RiverFest" party, which had more than 1,000 revelers and 20 kegs. The party spilled over into the streets~ and neighbors lodged complaints. The police wanted more discretion regarding "out-of-hand" parties. The original proposal for the ordinance -- first discussed in April -- centered on controlling parties with multiple kegs. However, councilors said, focusing on kegs wouldn't solve the party problems. "They were concerned they needed to step back and examine the tools they had, so they could add the tools they needed to address the problem," Dilkes said. UI junior Maureen Hart said she threw a 50-person party last month and received a ticket for keeping a disorderly house after neighbors complained about parties on the street. Although she said she "feels bad" about disturbing neighbors, she said people should be allowed to have parties without worrying about getting a ticket. "I don't think it's fair; it's too strict," Hart said. "We're college students; that's what we do." DI reporter Steven Cook can be reached at: sacoo~blue.weeg.uiowa.edu Title: Council to mull over loud-party ordinance Page: lA - Date: 9/21/98 [ B[ome Search Front Metro & Iowa Nation & World Viewpoints Sports Arts ] Col~vright 1996 The Daily Iowan. (http://www.uiowa.edu/~llyiowan/> 2 of 2 9/21/98 11:14 AM