October 9, 2003
UW officials announce steps to address off-campus problems
UW Interim President Lee Huntsman has announced a set of initiatives, designed in collaboration with student leaders, to address issues of noise, disturbance and security in the neighborhood bordering the University north of 45th St.
“The illegal and uncivil behavior that took place last weekend (Sept. 27-28) is unacceptable to me and our entire University community,” Huntsman said. “We are actively cooperating with the Seattle Police Department to identify those responsible and to hold them accountable for their actions. Working with the University, student leaders from the Greek system will take steps to prevent a recurrence and to improve security, as well as peace and quiet.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Ernest Morris and Greek representatives have developed an action agenda for cooperative steps to prevent further trouble.
“The police are continuing to investigate the details of what happened Saturday night,” said Peter Bell, president of the Interfraternity Council (IFC). “It’s clear that some University of Washington students were present, and one of our areas of emphasis will be to communicate to the members of fraternities and sororities the importance of staying away from a situation that is clearly a threat to public safety. We are committed to holding ourselves accountable.”
“We also know that some of the trouble was caused by individuals who are not part of the Greek system,” said Carrie Coffee, president of the Panhellenic Association. “In fact, some of the damage was caused by people who are not University students and who don’t live in our neighborhood. We have had concerns for some time about people coming in looking for parties. Our plan includes efforts to improve overall security in our community. We plan to invite reporters, the mayor, and members of the City Council to come and see what we’re doing.”
The action agenda agreed to by the University and the student leaders includes:
- IFC and Panhellenic, in conjunction with the Seattle Police Department and the UW, will work to increase police patrols in the Northeast 47th Street corridor between University Way and 22nd Ave Northeast. There is a history of incidents on the street involving or directed at those traveling on it, prompting many students to be concerned for their safety.
- The IFC, Alumni Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association will develop a list of ways in which fraternity and sorority house corporation boards, the owners of the various facilities, might make their chapter houses safer. This will include such issues as lighting, house alarms, emergency plans, and surveillance cameras, to increase the safety of their individual members and the broader Greek community.
- The Greek system will organize a “night walk” involving fraternity and sorority members, alumni, and sorority house directors, with assistance from the UW and Seattle city staff, to identify lighting and other security concerns. Law enforcement and city officials, including members of the City Council and the mayor, will be invited to participate in the walk, which is scheduled to occur on Monday, Oct. 13.
- The Greek community, in consultation with the University, will seek to improve communication with other residents of the area.
- The chapter leaders will discuss with their members the importance of not contributing to emerging problems by remaining in the vicinity of unruly behavior and providing unintended encouragement and cover for lawbreakers.
In addition to the steps outlined above, UW and Seattle Police departments, in collaboration with the State Liquor Control Board, will establish two Incident Prevention Teams to visit both registered and unregistered parties in the University District to ensure that laws controlling alcohol and noise are observed.
The teams will consist of one Seattle Police officer, one UW police officer, and a Liquor Control Board member. The goal will be to monitor activities and enforce laws before problems escalate.
Morris commented, “We work closely with the fraternities and sororities, and when an organization is found to have violated the standards of the UW’s recognition agreement with fraternities and sororities, we hold them accountable. We also work closely with the Seattle Police Department to enforce ordinances regarding alcohol. The new noise ordinance provides a new tool that should help matters further. The University takes these matters — safety and security — very seriously.”
