Handbooks distributed to communities surrounding campus
Sep 05, 2008 - 03:03 PM
By Crystal Crimi
DURHAM -- Teaching good manners to those living off-campus is on the goal list of Oshawa's post-secondary student association.
In an attempt to reduce complaints over student housing in the community, the student association for the shared campuses of Durham College, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Trent University hit the streets on the Labour Day weekend armed with Good Neighbour's Guides.
"We're really taking a proactive step this year," said Amy England, student association president.
The guide provides tips for people on how to be better neighbours.
"Normal everyday courtesies I think people tend to forget," she said, such as introducing yourself to your neighbour, making them aware before you host a party, or holding parties elsewhere.
The guide also features information about the City's housing bylaws, rights of tenants, what to ask for from their landlords, and the rights of bylaw officers.
"We're really trying to alleviate a lot of conflicts in the area," Ms. England said.
Ever since the university opened, it has had dealings with the community regarding students living in the surrounding area, said Gary Pitcher, director of campus safety at UOIT and Durham College.
"It's an ongoing issue," he said. "The university kind of grew up very quickly so now we're trying to catch up with that growth."
A new residence opened this September and another one was just recently approved for the Niagara and Simcoe street area, Mr. Pitcher said.
Between Durham College and UOIT, there are about 1,400 beds in residence and a couple of thousand students living in the community. Typically, more university students move to an area because of their longer, four-year program commitment.
Community complaints about students are referred to bylaw enforcement officers or police if necessary and there are always more problems at the beginning of the year, Mr. Pitcher said.
"It's usually by October and November they realize they have a lot of work to do," he said.
"I would like to say 98 per cent of the students are good students who don't create problems," Mr. Pitcher said.
The student association hopes to showcase the good work students are doing in the community this year. Its goal is to donate 10,000 hours of community service by the end of April through initiatives such as park and neighbourhood cleanups, Ms. England said.
An off-campus student housing office is also in the works, Mr. Pitcher said. The office would allow students to access a housing registry.
"Our prime concern is safe, affordable housing for our students so we would work toward that goal," Mr. Pitcher said.
Landlords should have their licenses posted in the house, Ms. England said.
The campus will help anyone stuck in housing that's not licensed in anyway it can, Mr. Pitcher said.
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