The following individuals served as members of the Task Force: Dr. Susan Boswell, Dean of Student Life; Teresa Bruno, student; Thomas Calder, Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports; Dawna Cobb, community resident; Michael Kelly-Sell, student; Ron Mullen, Director of Security, Parking, & Transportation Services; Dennis O'Shea, Executive Director, Communications and Public Affairs; Salem Reiner, Director, Community Affairs; Jerry Schnydman, Executive Assistant to the President; Dorothy Sheppard, Associate Dean of Student Life; Edmund Skrodzki, Executive Director of Campus Safety and Security; Jennifer Snodgrass, student; John Spurrier, community representative; Gerard St. Ours, Associate General Counsel; and Robert Turning, Coordinator of Greek Life. The Task Force met on an aggressive schedule during the summer and developed a number of recommendations. Many of these were implemented immediately, and others are in process.

Paralleling the work of this Task Force is a similar working group addressing alcohol issues. It is anticipated that many of the recommendations being developed by the Task Force on Alcohol will have important and positive ramifications on the ability of the Task Force on Neighborhood Relations to meet its objectives.

It is worth repeating here the charge to the Task Force because it highlights the nature of the concerns that gave rise to its creation:

To assess the state of relations between students living off-campus and community neighbors and review relevant data about incidents.

To consider educational programs that help students understand their responsibility to the community.

To develop educational programs that help neighbors understand the constructive engagement of students in the community.

To develop efficacious mechanisms for sanctioning irresponsible and inconsiderate behavior, including disciplinary means.

To review procedures for addressing neighbors' complaints and develop appropriate protocols for responding to incidents.

To foster better communication with neighbors about community concerns.

To develop initiatives that encourage students to display the habits of good citizenship and work to create a supportive culture.

In the course of its discussions, the Task Force agreed on the importance of cultivating better relations between Johns Hopkins students and community residents as a matter of mutual self-interest. The health and safety of the Homewood campus depends in significant measure on having stable and healthy surrounding neighborhoods. And, a vibrant university contributes positively to the stability, attractiveness, and interest of the communities around it.

The Task Force reviewed the current state of student- community relations and found the following:

The number of incidents of unacceptable behavior seems to have increased, as has the predisposition of community residents to lodge complaints with the university about such behavior.

The most common complaint is excessive noise late at night. Community residents also express concern about upkeep at some student-occupied housing and the failure to maintain property in good order, especially to attend properly to trash. Some concerns have also been expressed about rowdiness and vandalism.

Alcohol consumption is a primary contributor to many of the community relations problems caused by students.

Especially on weekends, even groups of students walking to or from parties very late at night generates noise that at other times of the day might be tolerable.

Some of the difficulties in maintaining healthy community relations stem from the basic incompatibility of student lifestyles, especially the hours that they keep, with those of working adults and others who operate on more conventional schedules.

A frustration for both students and community residents is that the university has been unable to provide sufficient housing for those upperclassmen who would prefer on-campus accommodations. While many students appreciate the independence of off-campus living and others are glad for a chance to save money by sharing less expensive housing, still others feel that they have no choice but to live in off-campus neighborhoods, notwithstanding the added convenience and safety of campus residence halls.

Many of the complaints from community residents stem from the repeated behaviors of groups of Johns Hopkins students in a limited number of houses, including some occupied by members of fraternal organizations.

The turnover of students in certain houses every year or two means that education efforts have to be constant and that the progressive disciplinary sanctions have to begin anew.

Johns Hopkins students are not responsible for all of the unacceptable behaviors exhibited in surrounding neighborhoods, nor are all complaints well-founded. There has been an increase in the number of calls to Johns Hopkins Security that are unsubstantiated.

Some Johns Hopkins students have felt harassed by neighbors, who, they feel, are too quick to report incidents, thus infringing on their freedom to go about their business.

Whether well-founded or not, noise complaints consume extraordinary amounts of time for campus security officers and divert security resources to non-security matters.

Most Johns Hopkins students in communities around Homewood are good citizens and contribute positively to these neighborhoods. For example, many Hopkins students help their neighbors; students collectively devote significant hours to volunteerism, including tutoring neighborhood children.

The creation of an Office of Community Relations has helped improve communication between the university and local community associations, but expectations for aggressive action by the university to control student behavior have continued to rise, especially as neighborhood property values have increased

Although the Office of the Dean of Student Life has strengthened education efforts significantly and has sanctioned students found to have violated standards of acceptable behavior off-campus, some community residents remain cynical about the university's willingness to address these problems.

To address these issues, the Task Force considered structural, disciplinary, educational, programmatic, and communication solutions. The Task Force developed some new strategies and a series of recommendations that are summarized below.

A. Disciplinary Procedures

The Johns Hopkins Student Conduct Code, which prescribes unacceptable off-campus behavior that can be sanctioned, should be strengthened to cite specific examples of prohibited behavior and to make clearer the range of sanctions that will be imposed, especially for successive infractions. Note: this action has been accomplished and the following examples of misconduct have been explicitly listed in the Student Conduct Code:

The distribution or sale of alcohol to individuals under the legal drinking age. Conduct that disturbs the peace or impinges on the rights of residents of neighborhoods where students reside, including but not limited to: loud parties or excessive noise, shouting or talking that unreasonably disturbs other students or community members; public urination; drinking in public; littering or not disposing of trash appropriately; failure to reasonably maintain yard or premises.

Hosting, sponsoring or conducting an event in violation of university policy. Changes made in the Student Conduct Code should also address sanctions imposed when students act inappropriately. Students found in violation of noise or underage drinking restrictions for the first time will receive at minimum a warning. A second violation will result in, at minimum, university probation, a fine and parental notification. A third violation will result in, at minimum, suspension from the university. As in the case with any violation of the Student Conduct Code, any egregious violation (even a first offense) can be punished with sanctions up to and including expulsion. Note: Students have been apprised that this new policy is in effect for fall semester, 2005.

The Office of Greek Life should review the Interfraternity Constitution and By-Laws and Alcohol Policy and strengthen the provisions relating to consumption of alcohol and the sanctioning of groups that violate state and local laws by providing alcohol to underage students. It should also work to invigorate the Greek Judicial Board so that students play a more active role in becoming part of the solution to these problems. Note: These actions are under way.

The Student Organizations Alcohol Policy should be reviewed and amended to include event registration procedures to ensure compliance with alcohol laws. Note: This action has been completed.

New protocols for the reporting of noise violations should be developed so that the response is timely. As part of those protocols, community complainants can be invited to report their names and phone numbers so that they can receive follow up information.

B. Student-Community Liaison and Compliance Officer

A new position should be created for a Student-Community Liaison and Compliance Officer, whose job it would be to proactively monitor neighborhoods where groups of Johns Hopkins students reside and to intervene when problem behavior (e.g. excessive noise, destruction of property, etc.) occurs. This person would patrol the community during potentially high-impact times (e.g. Thursday through Saturday nights) and would respond to community complaints. The Compliance Officer would be empowered to issue citations and would report incidents to the Dean of Student Life. The Compliance Officer would meet with student residents of houses that are the sources of multiple complaints to effect strategies to reduce nuisance behavior. The Compliance Officer would also develop programs and educational initiatives to enhance student- neighbor relations. Note: This recommendation has been implemented; the position was established and has been filled. The officer began work on August 15.

C. Education and Outreach

The Dean of Student Life should continue the practice of writing all off-campus students annually about the university's expectations for student behavior and about the sanctions that will be imposed for infractions of the relevant sections of the Student Conduct Code. A letter should be sent also to parents so that they will be aware of the possible serious disciplinary consequences of inappropriate behaviors and will discuss this matter with their sons and daughters. Note: action taken; letters sent to parents in August and prepared for distribution to students upon their return to campus. See copies attached.

A meeting should be held early in each school year with all students who have moved off-campus to review with them their obligations and the expectations with respect to behavior, including property upkeep, as well as to make them aware of city laws and regulations related to such issues as disturbance of the peace, nuisances and trash. The Dean of Student Life should sponsor this meeting and include the Executive Director of Campus Safety and Security and the Student-Community Liaison and Compliance Officer. Representatives of the community might be invited to participate in these meetings so that students could hear first-hand about the impact of irresponsible student behaviors on community residents. Note: The fall 2005 meeting has been scheduled.

Students should be encouraged to become personally involved in their neighborhoods' community associations and should attend meetings of those organizations.

Additional strategies for encouraging students to become invested in the surrounding neighborhoods should be developed in partnership with the community associations.

D. Communications

President Brody should meet with representatives of various community groups to inform them of steps the university is taking and to solicit from them other ideas for enhancing relationships between students and community members. (Note: Meeting scheduled for September 2.)

More positive interaction between Johns Hopkins students and community members should be fostered through a series of programs and events, for example, through block parties and a "Meet Your Neighbors" picnic early in the school year to which both undergraduates and graduate students living off campus would be encouraged to invite their neighbors. At this event, information about campus resources could be shared, e.g. the schedules for athletic events, almost all of which are open without charge to members of the community. Note: A picnic has been scheduled for September 17. Invitations are in process.

Efforts should be made to understand better the dimensions of the problem of student behavior in the community and the extent of concern by conducting a survey of both community residents and students living off campus. Note: this action is under way. The survey is being designed and the project is to be completed by November 2005.

Neighborhood residents should be better educated about the positive contributions of Johns Hopkins students in the community. The newsletters of community organizations and the university's publications may present opportunities to feature stories about some of these contributions. The Charles Villager publication has offered to create a "Johns Hopkins Corner" to feature information about campus events and news items of interest to community residents.

A kiosk that would advertise "This Week at Johns Hopkins" should be incorporated in the streetscape in the new development in the 3200 block of St. Paul Street.

E. Special Initiatives with Regard to Property Upkeep

The Student-Community Liaison and Compliance Officer should be attentive to off-campus houses occupied by Johns Hopkins students that appear to be maintained poorly. The officer should meet with the residents about their obligations and ensure that students are aware of the city's trash collection and removal programs. The officer should be empowered to cite students who repeatedly disregard community standards with respect to trash removal.

The Director of Greek Life should arrange inspections of houses occupied by groups of fraternity members early in the school year and periodically thereafter for the purpose of making suggestions about external upkeep, adequacy of trash disposal, etc. Fraternity alumni should be involved in these discussions.

The university should explore the feasibility of creating a "student services company" to provide lawn care, leaf and snow removal in the neighborhoods surrounding Homewood. A modest capital investment might assist such a student agency in procuring the equipment necessary to operate a successful small business that could make it easier for landlords and student renters to maintain their properties.

F. Special Initiatives Related to Fraternities

In addition to the recommendations above, other steps will be taken to address special problems created by fraternities whose parties are the source of many complaints of noise and rowdy behavior.

A Fraternity Alcohol Policy will be created and implemented by mid-October. This policy will comply with state and local laws and will address the risk management issues that expose individuals to personal legal liability as well as put groups at risk for losing their Johns Hopkins charters. Fraternity officers will be trained in these new policies and will be educated about how to host events in on campus and in third-party locations. The Office of Greek Life should provide resources and enhanced support for groups when they are planning and hosting events.

Education efforts will be enhanced so that fraternity chapters are encouraged more strongly to attend community association meetings, in the company of IFC officers. Chapters should also be encouraged to become dues paying members; to get involved with community association projects; to do hands-on service with the surrounding community neighborhoods, and to introduce their officers and new members to the neighborhood and to the association.

Chapter officers will be encouraged to provide contact information so that neighbors can call to express concern about noise before needing to contact either Johns Hopkins security or the Baltimore police, or the Compliance Officer.

Concluding Comments

Urban universities share many of the problems outlined in this report as well as many of the frustrations of monitoring and sanctioning the irresponsible behavior of some students who interfere with the rights of community residents to enjoy a reasonable amount of peace and quiet. Such students also unfairly compromise the reputation of constructive and responsible students, who constitute the overwhelming majority of Johns Hopkins students. Certainly, the university's efforts to create additional housing for upperclassmen will help to address these problems, although we expect that some students, especially our graduate and professional students, will continue to make their homes in surrounding neighborhoods.

In the long run, it is vital that The Johns Hopkins University and the communities that surround the Homewood campus develop an effective and constructive partnership. The recommendations set out in this report are designed to strengthen that important relationship so that both the university, one of the premier institutions of higher education in the world, and the Greater Homewood community, among the truly wonderful urban neighborhoods in the nation, can continue to thrive.

August 22, 2005

© 2005 The Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore, Maryland. All rights reserved.
Last updated 04Sep05 by dgips@jhu.edu