Eighties hair band Quiet Riot might have said it best – “Cum On Feel The Noize.”
The subject of noise ordinance violations might be somewhat of a broken record on many college campuses, but the trend does not appear to be breaking. Students are still partying late and keeping the level of noise at a dull roar.
It is hard for people to be aware of noise they are making, said Melissa Southerland, a junior in women studies and psychology.
“When they’re drunk they don’t notice how loud they are,” she said.
Southerland lives at University Village and said it’s the perfect atmosphere to study during the day and then go closer to Ohio State and party at night.
Willie Young, director of Off-Campus Student Services, said noise is more likely to be tolerated in close proximity to the university. He said houses that are primarily student concentrated around 12th, 13th and 14th avenues frequently cause problems but, as a rule, noise is not a huge issue.
Young said the Columbus Police Department is lenient with this particular area because the residents are primarily students who do not mind the noise. As long as the noise cannot be heard about 50 feet away from the house, students are not violating any laws, he said.
John Fulton, who teaches computer science at Franklin University, has lived on Indianola Avenue since 1979. He said dealing with noise is part of the deal when choosing to live near a university.
“Loud parties are a fact of life on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings,” Fulton said.
There have been times over the past 26 years where Fulton said he has called the police over loud, out-of-control parties. Fulton understands that students are excited to have their first home away from home, but he said the best advice he can give to any student is to, “Pretend your parents live three houses away.”
Larry Geis, 4th Precinct Liaison Officer for the Columbus Police Department, said consideration and community standards go a long way when dealing with noise ordinances.
Geis said that north of Lane Avenue and east of High Street tend to cause the most problems because the neighborhoods are more residential.
Typically students are only given warnings when the police are called to a house for a noise ordinance violation. An officer will show up and ask that the music get turned down, especially if it is past 1 a.m., Geis said.
Geis said if a citation is given out, the student will be expected to show up in court and explain why the music was turned up so loud at such a late hour.
Seth Blewitt, a senior in physics and resident of Findley Avenue, said that when he first moved into the neighborhood he did not know what he was getting himself into.
After the police showed up on three different occasions, on account of noise, Blewitt discovered the people in his residential neighborhood were not going to tolerate parties with ’80s music blaring from his speakers.
Now that Blewitt has adjusted to a quieter lifestyle, he said he would never want to live so close to campus again.
“I still have people over but the parties are smaller and done by midnight,” Blewitt said.
Geis said it is important to insure that everyone in the off-campus area is able to enjoy a good nights’ sleep.
“The whole point of college is to have fun but you have to realize who your neighbors are and respect them,” Geis said.
