Student misconduct getting worse, say Dalhousie campus neighbours

Residents living near Dalhousie University say student misconducthas been an issue for years, but tempers are wearing thin in the wake of last weekend's massive off-campus street party that led to more than two dozen arrests.

Roughly 100 people turned out tovoice their concernsata community meeting Tuesday night. The crowdheard from a panel of university officials, members of Halifax Regional Police and area councillor Waye Masonbefore a question period was held.

Police told the meeting they made 23 arrests and issued over two dozen tickets. Between1,500 and2,000 people had flooded Jennings, Preston, Chestnut and Larch streets in south-end Halifaxas part of Dalhousie homecoming celebrations.

But people who live in the neighbourhood said the mayhem Saturday morningis a symptom of a bigger problem:Off-campus misconduct isgetting worse.

"I think we're missing the point if we just focus on Saturday," local resident Kristin Sinclair said. "Saturdaywas wild, but it's bad. It'sbeen particularlybad this year. Something has to changebecause it hasn't always been this way"

Sinclairlives on Jubilee Road, just a stone's throw from where the party took place.She saidthat while she'd never seen a party that large, students have been disrupting residents for years.

"People in our neighbourhood are getting fed up. We're going to start moving out of the neighbourhood and it's going to become astudent enclave that's out of control."

Dan Hughes lives just a few doors away from what seemed to be the focal pointof student and police activity on Jennings Street.

His family has lived in the neighbourhood for over 30 years. He saidfor the most parthe's had good relationships with students, but acknowledgesthere have always been problems.

"Thursday, Friday,Saturday nights,there's a lot of noise, music blasting, drinking, but the simple solution is you just call the police. They show up,and about 15 minutes later, a bunch of taxis show up, and they go downtown. You can set yourclock by it," he said.

Hughes saidhe wasconfused by the students' decision to hang out in the street Saturday morning.

"I thought it was a pep rally and [they would]march off to a football game.Then someone said to me, 'There's no football game.' My question for the students isthis: Where were you going to go? ... It was like a party without a venue."

Mike Sampson, a Saint Mary's University studentlivingwith 11 Dalhousie students just down the street from Hughes, saidthere wasn't an organized event to move on to.

"From what I could tell ...they were looking forthat sense of community," Sampson said. "To all hang out, have a few drinks with friends and have that party. Dalhousie wasn't providing them with that so ... someone just said 'Lets take over Jennings Street."

The crowd at Tuesday's meeting wasgiven feedback forms tobe reviewed by Dalhousie management.

University president Richard Florizonesaidofficials are still gathering information about the incident and are working with police to develop a plan to curb misconduct of off-campus students.