Many students living in off-campus housing have had more interaction with both campus and town police officers than they may have desired since the semester's onset.
This year, police officers' methods when dealing with Tufts students and their off-campus parties have been occasionally inconsistent and some accuse them of being sometimes even quasi-legal.
Residents of 41 Conwell Ave. said that on Sept. 17, the Somerville Police Department (SPD) confiscated a full keg from a party at their house 41 Conwell Avenue, although residents were of legal drinking age.
While kegs are forbidden at on-campus parties by University regulations, they are not illegal according to state and local ordinances.
"All I can say is that it must have been in the best interest of public safety at the time to remove the keg," SPD Officer Paul Trant said.
But while the some police procedures - such as those accused at 41 Conwell - may push the limits of legal constraints, it is often difficult for students to seek legal recourse.
"That's a tough one to win in court," said a lawyer who asked to be identified as a local attorney. "As for these cases, it's a waste of everybody's time. The prosecution definitely doesn't want to take it."
According to the attorney, police behavior at off-campus parties can be more punitive if students demonstrate knowledge of their rights. "[The police] tell me, if the kid wasn't such a wise-ass, I would've been on my way," the attorney said.
The SPD officers proceeded to disband the party at 41 Conwell and fined the students renting the house. According to resident and Tufts senior Mike Cherney, each resident was fined $100, resulting in a total fine of $600 for the house.
But police response to noise complaints does not always result in fines. Students renting at 58 Conwell Ave. were the source of several noise complaints during an afternoon barbeque two weeks ago, but the police were far less harsh in dealing with them than they were with the party down the street.
"We got a citation by the Somerville police," said junior Matt Shapiro, who lives at 58 Conwell. "They could have fined us but it would have been idiotic since we made no noise."
"If neighbors keep calling, they'll have to make an arrest," said the local attorney. "The city thinks 'we have to let these kids know something must change.'"
The jurisdiction for off-campus parties around Tufts exists in shades of gray. According to the attorney, "it really should be a city officer" responding to the noise complaints. But such procedures aren't always implemented in Medford and Somerville.
"Technically, it's the jurisdiction of whatever city you're in," said Captain Mark Keith of the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD). "If a neighbor calls to complain, they'll call either Somerville or us directly. If we're called, the city will respond with us, and it works the other way around."
Since the Medford and Somerville police do not always have the time and resources to respond to a University-related noise complaint, TUPD sometimes responds alone. "As far as I'm concerned, it's preferred to have both agencies there," Keith said. "I prefer to have an agency whose jurisdiction it is."
"Always, the first four to six weeks of school, we have a spike in off-campus complaints," Keith said.
More complaints occur in the fall because students socialize more at the beginning of the year, Keith said. Additionally, the warmer weather leads to more open windows, carrying sounds between neighboring houses more easily.
But students argue that it is not always possible to control who shows up at parties. "We're all 21 that live in our house, but when people on campus hear, 'Oh, [party at] 41 Conwell,' then we get in trouble," Cherney said.
"[The police] make these threats that are completely uncalled for," sophomore Geoff Loh said, whose suite in Hillsides threw a party two weekends ago that was visited by TUPD. "It's fostering a pretty bad relationship between police and students."
"It's scared me from having social gatherings," Loh said. "Even if you are playing by the rules, not drinking, there's still the possibility that cops will come because there's noise."
There is no immediate resolution in sight. In past semesters, the issue has resulted in multiple Tufts Community Union Senate meetings and has left students frustrated.
"I feel like [it is worse] for everyone younger. I hope the administration does something about it," Cherney said. "It has to be done constructively through the students."
While many students are drawn to off-campus parties, not everyone ventures off the Hill once the sun sets on weekend nights.
"I don't find them any more fun [than on-campus parties]," sophomore Mike Landsberger said. "If they [end up being bad parties] or something, it's such a task to go somewhere else. If I go to AEPi and it sucks, I'm still in the center of school."
"It's not just the lack of on-campus parties, but how the administration deals with it," Cherney said. "The freshmen and sophomores have nothing to do."
