by Manu Krishnan

No one has ever mistaken the relationship a typical off-campus NU student shares with his neighbor for the Tim Taylor-Wilson variety. In a city traditionally known for its blue-blooded conservatism and monastery-like nightlife, midnight keggers and overflowing trash cans aren't very endearing to the older populace. Even so, the recent friction between students and permanent residents has become so Hatfield and McCoy-like that one would expect people to start sitting on their porches, sipping moonshine with a shotgun in their lap. While these warring interests might seem like the ultimate comedy of errors, the problem has very real consequences for the NU community, as one group of senior students relates.

Coulston & neighbors' residences on Simpson Street

It was only 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 and the booze had already stopped flowing at Jordan Coulston's residence on Simpson Street. The dinner party held at his house had cleared out, the music was off, and the few lingering guests were ready to stumble into taxis and head off to the Deuce. To Coulston and his roommates, Chad Peters and Jon Karelitz, this was a routine Thursday night, an early start to the weekend. No one had created a disturbance, nothing had been broken, and almost everyone had gone home.

Three Evanston police cars pulled up to the residence in response to a call complaining of excessive noise. The officers demanded identification from Coulston and Peters, and proceeded to interrogate the remaining guests. According to Coulston, one officer appeared infuriated at the presence of 19- and 20-year-old guests, as well as the apparent lack of apology from the residents.

"He became more and more angry as we tried to justify what had gone on that night," Coulston said. "I acted like it was no big deal and he compared us to some crack dealers he just busted. At one point, he grabbed me by the collar and said, 'You say one more word and I'll break your fucking jaw!' "

After threats of arrest and bodily harm, the police officers left without issuing a citation for violating an Evanston noise ordinance, which prohibits excessive noise and fines those responsible a minimum of $75. Coulston and his roommates were shaken, but in the clear.

Unfortunately for them, this was not the first time the police had been called to their residence. "That was the sixth time they came this year, and we've been issued noise violations three times," Peters said. "Once they were called at 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday, but couldn't cite us for anything because we hadn't violated any law."

Scenes like this are not uncommon in the neighborhoods west of Sheridan Road, and a recent rash of confrontations between the opposing factions has only exacerbated existing animosities: On Sept. 30, a group of NU students, apparently jaded by legal dating options, decided to crash an Evanston high-schooler's homecoming party. Less than a week later on Oct. 4, a freshman was charged with criminal trespassing in a residence after breaking into an Evanston home while intoxicated. Then, on Oct. 15, Northwestern basketball player Ed McCants was kicked off the team following a physical altercation that pitted him and former teammate Casey Cortez against an Evanston couple.

While such cases have attracted their share of attention on campus, Evanston police say there is no evidence to suggest the problem is worsening. While no statistics are available for the current year, EPD Commander Michael Perry describes the number of incidents as "no more than normal."

"For the most part, students are students," Perry said. "We tend to get the most complaints about noise and littering during the fall, when the weather is still nice. Once winter sets in, the problem decreases considerably."

Perry says students who throw loud parties are treated just like any other residents. "The first time we're called, we usually issue a warning, and only fine someone if we have to come back," he said. "Each case is treated individually." Perry didn't know what percentage of noise complaints actually result in the issuance of a citation.

Though EPD downplays the aggravations, Evanston 5th Ward Alderman Joseph Kent has made the problem a priority and is facilitating dialogue between residents, students, NU administrators and police.

"We wanted to address everyone's concerns, particularly tenant-landlord issues as well as those of student disrespect," Kent said. "This is not a problem that will go away on its own."

Starting this month, representatives from each side have started meeting on an informal basis to voice their concerns. "Once we start meeting more frequently, we can start to make the process more official, start recording minutes, and more," Kent said.

Among those who attend the meetings is NU Classics professor Dan Garrison, who lives in an Evanston neighborhood heavily populated by students. Garrison doesn't hesitate to blame student behavior for much of the existing animosity.

"Many students are guilty of being bad citizens," he said. "Drinking cups are routinely tossed on to lawns after noisy parties, trash isn't disposed of properly on the curb, and a lot of them just don't treat their own properties well. I even had one student block my driveway with her car."

Another issue that only magnifies tensions is the parking war, a fierce competition for Evanston's scant curb-side real estate.

"Since the '70s, more and more students have been bringing their cars with them to school, creating competition for spots with residents. Many residents resent them for it," Garrison said.

Evanston resident Cathy Brown echoed this sentiment, saying, "Even with a permit, I come home from work and am forced to park around the block because of all the cars parked bumper-to-bumper on my street."

Garrison also finds fault in the lack of communication between landlords and their student tenants, and claims there is a degree of laziness among city officials as well.

"I think that many students are living on their own for the first time and don't realize what it means to be responsible," Garrison said. "I think there are many culpable parties here. In a way, students are victims, because they are exploited by their absentee landlords and are not given proper instruction on noise ordinances, trash pickup, and other responsibilities ... and the city's Community Development department doesn't seem to want to do anything about it."

However, some students claim that in spite of their best efforts to co-exist, their neighbors simply aren't interested. Peters said he and his housemates informed their neighbor of their Oct. 11 party in advance, and offered to turn down the music if it got too loud.

"He actually thanked us for coming over beforehand, and then called the police on us anyway," Peters said. "It's infuriating and immature when we try to do the neighborly thing and then get stabbed in the back. It naturally only makes us want to throw more parties."

Chris Lesieur, who lives with three NU students in a house on Hamlin Street, echoed Peters' feeling. Lesieur said a neighbor called police five times during a Sunday afternoon barbecue.

"There was no music, just a bunch of kids grilling burgers and hanging out," Lesieur said. "The police officer was a young guy who was understanding of our situation. He told us we hadn't done anything wrong, but if the neighbors kept calling, he would have to keep coming. I don't understand why the neighbors didn't just come over and talk to us."

Garrison agrees that some residents are "out of touch," and thus prone to overreact, but reiterates that these misunderstandings show the necessity for communication. "Residents need to see students as part of the community," he said.

Students are also irked by the fact that they are often unable to confront their accusers in court. The identity of those who phone in noise complaints is not made public record unless a civil complaint is filed. If students go to court to contest a citation, the initial accuser is not required to be there. "Neighbors can file an unjustified complaint and not have to answer for it," Coulston said.

NU's Office of Graduate and Off-Campus Housing makes a point of reminding students of their responsibilities as temporary citizens of Evanston. Students who reside in the neighborhood near Fireman's Park, at the intersection of Simpson Street and Maple Avenue, received a letter issued by the office that offers a list of suggestions to maintain friendly relations with other residents. Among the suggestions is: informing neighbors of a party before it occurs, keeping guests indoors and not littering.

The director of the office was repeatedly unavailable for comment.

The token efforts put forth by the city of Evanston and NU's housing office - although they indicate awareness of the problem - seem woefully inadequate in the face of student apathy and anger. Students' blindness to their own boorish behavior appears as ingrained as Evanston residents' general disgust towards it. And with the identity of off-campus NU tenants changing annually, the prospects of domestication seem slim.

"A college town is by definition a place where students and residents have to share a neighborhood," Karelitz said. "While students have an obligation to exercise restraint, residents need to understand that kids are going to be kids, and there's no way to change that."

Manu Krishnan's ma makes a damn good chicken. Manu can be reached at v-krishnan@northwestern.edu.

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