For a long time now, many of the residents of North Philadelphia who live within the vicinity of Temple University have voiced their complaints with regard to rowdy student behavior. In April of this year, Temple University implemented a party policy to minimize outlandish, usually drunken behavior off campus. The policy includes fines of up to $1,500 as well as possible suspension or expulsion from school, depending upon the gravity of the transgression.

  Dean of Students Stephanie Ives is intent on enforcing the new policy, despite the fact that Neil Theobald, the former president of Temple University under whom these changes were enacted, is no longer affiliated with the institution. “There is absolutely no way that we could do a disservice to our students by turning a blind eye to them and saying, ‘Oh, we know that you’re struggling with this but we’re not going to do anything about it,’” Ives told The Temple News. “It is our absolute obligation to create a safe environment.”

  Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said that it has been difficult to detect any dramatic overall changes in student behavior because the policy has only been in place for one month during both the spring and fall semesters this year.

  “We don’t really have all that just yet, but we feel that it is definitely helping in getting more information in areas where we are seeing issues,” Leone told The Temple News.

  The policy also includes a group of students who walk around from 10PM – 2AM Thursday through Saturday, patrolling the streets and reporting any suspicious or dangerous goings-on to the Temple Police. The group has been making anywhere from six to a dozen calls per weekend.

  The Temple Police have already issued more than 20 civil violation notices this semester. Compared to last year’s numbers, this is relatively high, but not surprising, considering inevitable student pushback and the exhortation of officers to issue said notices more liberally. •

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