Civic Leader Praises St. Joe's For Off-Campus Student Scrutiny

St. Joseph's University is pretty blunt when addressing off-campus students who disrupt neighborhoods, and a local civic leader says that's a good thing.

"We're asking police to arrest students. We want them to know they can't get off the hook," university off-campus coordinator Denys Davis told Manayunk residents at Pilgrim Church Sept. 13.

Speaking before members of the Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association, Davis said the Catholic university located on City Avenue (straddling Philadelphia and Montgomery County) had 75 percent of its students living off-campus. For residents in Manayunk, Overbrook Farms and the suburbs, the late summer is marked by new students laying claim to the neighborhood, hogging parking spaces, and throwing late-night parties.

Davis said the university is on the neighborhood's side and encourages residents to hold students accountable.

"They are not adults. Students are somewhere in between teens and adults, and it is our job to make sure our students follow the law when living off-campus," she said. "If there are parties, noise, trash, disrespect, public intoxication—call us. We will hold them accountable."

Wissahickon Neighbors President Andrew Bantly praised not only the university but student groups as well for their upped respect.

"Student groups do understand they have a bad reputation, and they have spoken to me about approaching us," he said, noting the university's outreach has improved greatly over the last two years.

With students from St. Joseph's, La Salle, Philadelphia, Drexel and other universities converging on Manayunk in the fall, the 5th District of the Philadelphia Police Department has its hands full. Officer Charles Kline said the department has already identified nine party houses and notified the schools and landlords.

"I've spoken to several groups of them, and they genuinely feel sorry. But at 3 a.m. when they're urinating in public, smoking pot or playing loud music, they didn't care about it then," Kline said.

The district gave Patch some tips for residents last week on dealing with noisy neighbors.

Nearer the university, Davis said 50 students were arrested and cited for various liquor infractions at one party over the weekend.

"I think we're handling it one person at a time, and we're active," she said.

Additionally, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has targeted the university and will vigilantly monitor this school year. 

According to Davis, St. Joe's approaches the problem from three fronts: students, landlords and the city.

The university gives off-campus students a living guide as a heads-up to laws and expectations of neighborhood living. When any incident occurs—arrests, citations, noise complaints—it promises to discipline students.

To cut off the parking problem in the already jam-packed Manayunk, St. Joe's is considering setting up a shuttle from the university to Wissahickon Station.

And to completely minimize the problem, the university is striving to keep students on-campus. Within the past five years, it instituted a residency requirement for freshmen and sophomore students. Additionally, two new dorms opened this year, and another one is on the way.

As for landlords, Davis said the university is working to ensure only three unrelated students occupy a residence—in keeping with city code. The school has hired an investigator to track party houses and landlords leasing illegally.

With the police and Philadelphia University, St. Joseph's is in constant communication. Residents are encouraged to call university public safety at 610-660-1111 to report problems with someone who may be a student.

Davis said sports team logos or license plate holders on cars could be good sign of the student's affiliation. Either way, university security can run checks on license plates, and take action if necessary.

For complete information on St. Joseph's University off-campus policy visit the school's website.