For many Jumbos, throwing roaring parties in the absence of vigilant resident assistants (RAs) marks the transition to off-campus housing. Gone are the days when hosts kept the music down and stood on the lookout for RAs.
Attention, though: This freedom may come at a price. If off-campus festivities become too disruptive, residents could be handed a $200 university fine.
According to Carrie Ales-Rich, assistant director of judicial affairs at the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife), her office has handed out approximately 10 off-campus noise disturbances this semester, each one carrying a $200 fine. Several of the house groups that received it were unaware that the fine existed, Ales-Rich said.
"Some students don't even know about the fine until they come into my office," she said.
Senior Madeline Soule, who has not received a violation, was unaware that the fine system existed.
"I've never really been in a position where my housemates and I would receive a fine," Soule said. "We live on Powderhouse Circle and are surrounded mostly by college students. If we were more residential, it might be something that would make me worry, in the event that we were to have a party."
Junior Yael Stern said she has not received a noise violation but knew it existed. She was not aware, however, about the magnitude of the fine.
On its Web site, the Office of Student Affairs states that "off-campus activities that create a disturbance because of noise emanating from a residence or from a large number of students gathering on a porch, sidewalk, or yard may generate a neighborhood complaint. A documented violation of the noise ordinance will result in a $200 fine by the university for the first offense and may result in disciplinary action."
Upon receiving the noise offense, students must meet with Ales-Rich to discuss the events that led to the violation and are automatically issued the fine.
"Most often, it is a loud noise complaint from an outside source that has been called in [by campus police]," Ales-Rich said. "We do have some of our TUPD officers patrolling the area."
While students have the ability to appeal a noise violation, Ales-Rich said that very few choose to do so, especially if the police report states that there was excessive noise coming from the house when officers arrived.
Some students have expressed discontent with ResLife's process for administering the fine.
One student, who wished to remain anonymous because she was discussing her disciplinary record, received a violation this summer. She said that she and her housemates were given the noise violation fine after their second reported disturbance, the first of which was not due to a party but rather several students conversing on the porch outside.
"We honestly probably deserved the second violation," she said. "We told all of our neighbors that we were throwing a party, but apparently five people called the cops. We had to pay a fine to Tufts and are currently on probation with both Tufts and Somerville."
Although she said the noise violation was warranted, the student left the situation unconvinced that her fine had been entirely fair.
"Our first offense wasn't justified," she said. "I feel like Tufts is forced to side with whomever makes the noise complaints, whether or not they are justified. It's more like protecting the community from us, more than anything else."
According to Ales-Rich, the goal of the policy is to ensure that Tufts students are respectful of those living around them.
"It's important to those who have to go to bed early, wake up early, or those with very young children because it is difficult to live in an environment where there is constant noise at night," Ales-Rich said. "We do think it's very important to foster those good relationships because we have a number of residents living in surrounding communities. We try to make sure our students are being good citizens in the communities."
Ales-Rich believes most members of the community are cognizant of their proximity to campus, despite the occasional noise complaint.
"In general, my impression is that many community members in the vicinity of Tufts understand that they are living around college students. Some people, I think, may have a lower tolerance for it and may be apt to call the municipal police department or TUPD," Ales-Rich said. "Every year is a little bit different, though, because there are different students living in the area."
According to Ales-Rich, the noise ordinance violation is an effective off-campus policy instrument.
"I do feel that the fine is somewhat of a deterrent because I rarely see multiple offenses of the policy," she said.
Stern, while agreeing that the policy is likely effective as a noise deterrent, said she is wary of its capacity to improve town-gown relations.
"I don't think it's a good way to foster a positive relationship with neighbors," Stern said. "It just separates college students from the community." She added that "Having parties is just part of the college lifestyle. Clearly, the community doesn't want loud parties late at night, but there has to be a friendlier way."
The noise-disturbance fine for off-campus residents is separate from municipal tickets issued by the Medford and Somerville Police Departments, both of which can fine students up to $300 for noise violations, according to Ales-Rich. These fines are independent from the university charge, and therefore it is possible that a particularly loud party could warrant both fines.
While Tufts' fine may strike some as excessive, some other colleges and universities require students to pay fines in excess of $200 for the first off-campus noise offense.
Students at Loyola College in Baltimore, Md. are issued a $500 fine and disciplinary probation for their first community-standards violations — which can include noise disturbances — and $750 and deferred suspension for the second violation. According to the Web site of the Off-Campus Housing Service at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., "Anyone who violates the Noise Ordinance is subject to a fine for each offense of up to $500."
The money collected from noise disturbance violations at Tufts is funneled into a student life fund that is used to sponsor campus-wide programming efforts, Ales-Rich said.
After receiving a second fine, the anonymous female student and her housemates have no plans to host any gatherings that could lead to further disciplinary consequences, at either the university or the municipal level. Receiving a second offense or more can result in a $400 fine or further disciplinary action.
"If we get in trouble again, it will be a lot of trouble," she said.
According to Ales-Rich, the university's intention is not to prevent students from hosting parties off-campus but to promote doing so in a less disruptive fashion. She makes a point of discussing this issue in talks with students who have received noise violations.
"Students always need to be mindful of those living around them. If they are going to have some sort of social event, they need to let neighbors know and give them a contact number in case there is a problem," Ales-Rich said.
"They should limit the number of students hanging out on the porch or front yard area, keep the windows shut, and be mindful of how loud the music is," she added.
