The first two weeks of school identified certain off-campus houses as potential party spots for the year—and some neighbors are less than pleased.
For residents of Trinity Heights, which borders East Campus, student parties are an annual cause for concern. But with different groups of students renting different houses each year, the addresses that tend to host the most parties are prone to changing—making it difficult for neighbors to target the problem.
“As wonderful and responsible and intelligent as Duke students are, there’s going to come a point when some of them are none of those things,” said Trinity Heights resident Cathy Shuman, a lecturing fellow in the English department.
Trinity Heights is a historic neighborhood that houses families alongside temporary student tenants. Adjacent to East Campus, the neighborhood has strong ties with the University due to its geographic proximity and the high volume of Duke faculty residing there.
A number of residents agree that loud music, excessive public urination, yelling from students heading to and from parties and post-party litter are just a handful of the issues that stem from off-campus partying.
“It’s not a new issue, and it’s an issue that you really have to pay attention to each and every year,” Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said.
The beginning of the school year typically brings more noise complaints than other times of year.
"Usually when the students first get here, the first two weeks, that's when they have the parties," Durham Police officer J.B. Griffith said. "They just come back and have wilder parties."
Griffith noted that his squad has not noticed a particular increase in parties in the neighborhood this year.
Shuman noted that efforts have been made in past years to improve relationships between off-campus students and permanent residents. These include “Knock and Talk” sessions that link off-campus students to local law enforcement and members of the Durham community that foster conversation about partying policies.
Knock and Talks were reformed in 2012 to include more students.
But efforts put in to heighten awareness of the residents' concerns have limited lasting effects, because each year brings in a new group of students living in different off-campus rental homes.
“One of the problems is these houses change location. They pop up in different places each year,” said Durham City Council member Steve Schewel, a visiting assistant professor of public policy.
But no matter which houses are throwing the parties, several residents said they are frustrated.
“I have had my property damaged by students who have been drinking at parties,” Trinity Heights resident Beverly Meek said. “I have had furniture stolen. I have found things in my gutters that nobody wants to find. I have had beer cans, beer cups [and] trash when there has been a party next door. That’s the kind of event that you don’t have in a neighborhood.”
Lee Moore-Crawford, another Trinity Heights resident, said she worries about the neighborhood’s children and pets, who could easily wander into the path of a speeding taxi or drunk driver heading to or from a party. She also said that she dislikes the negative face of Duke that her young daughter sees in loud drunken students and post-party trash.
“What if it was [the students’] parents' neighborhood?” Shuman said. “What if it was the neighborhood they grew up in?”
Vice president of Student Affairs Larry Moneta said that although incidents occur, Duke students still have a positive role in Durham.
“Overall, the Durham community holds Duke and Duke students in high regard and are appreciative of all the support students provide as tutors, volunteers, and spenders in the local retail and food scenes,” Moneta wrote in an email.
Emma Baccellieri contributed reporting.
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