Neighborhoods
Presenter: Kendre Turonie
What Your Students Should Know About
Living in Off-Campus Neighborhoods
Help your student think about being a neighbor, not just having
neighbors, and encourage him or her to make good choices.
Things to consider:
Location
- When researching housing options, students should pay attention
to where the house or apartment is located. There is more competition
(and higher rents) on apartments closest to campus. Students can
investigate the many great neighborhoods that are a bit further
away, but that have good bus connections to campus. Check out the
transit connections at www.umn.edu/pts.
- When students are looking at a potential rental, encourage
them to think about who the neighbors will be: seniors; families
with young
children; families with teenage children; other college students;
or all of the above? Your student needs to consider the impact
their behavior could have on the neighbors around them and use
that information to make good choices about where to rent.
Yard care
- Ask students to check the lease to see who is responsible for
individual responsibilities from season to season such as mowing
grass, raking
leaves, or shoveling snow. If the renter must do it, the renter
should receive a reduction in rent or some form of compensation
per the State Attorney General’s Office (www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/housing/lt/default.htm).
Make sure the student has access to tools to do what’s agreed
upon (rakes, lawnmower, snow shovels) if needed.
- Is there a timeline established for when these items need to be
done? Sometimes the city stipulates certain areas such as snow
removal from sidewalks within 24 hours of snow. Discuss this in
advance.
-
If the landlord is responsible for yard care and doesn’t
do it, how should the renter handle it? Students should ask before
signing a lease.
Parking
- If renting a house, only two cars are legally allowed to be parked
in the driveway area outside a home’s garage in local Minneapolis
neighborhoods. Other roommates may have to park on the street.
Some streets only allow parking on one side of the street. Pay
attention to these things in advance and be sure your student asks
potential roommates if they expect to have cars.
- Students should encourage guests to only park in front of the home
they’re visiting, as neighbors often feel proprietary about
parking spaces in front of their homes.
- If in an apartment setting, be sure to ask about available parking
for tenants and guests. Many a friend has been towed when guest
parking rules aren’t followed.
Parties and Noise
Students need to think about their noise levels and partying habits
when choosing a place to live. The City of Minneapolis takes
underage drinking seriously and they take noise complaints seriously.
When police stop at parties, the majority of the time, they are
responding to actual neighborhood complaints.
The best way for students to avoid having neighbors complain about
them is:
- Meet the neighbors. Students should introduce themselves and find
out what your neighbor’s life is like. They can give neighbors
their phone number and encourage them to call when problems arise.
It’s best if students don’t just talk to them once
in the fall or only when they’re having a party. Neighbors
need to build trust and respect.
- Pay attention to what time it is. There is a city ordinance regarding
noise: It states no noise after 10 p.m. Students must pay attention
to how loud they or roommates are being. Houses and apartments
in these neighborhoods are close together; there is no such thing
as a big sideyard or backyard. Closed windows and doors make a
big difference in how sound travels.
- Encourage guests to keep it down as they’re arriving or departing
from the apartment.
- Don’t wait for the phone call from neighbors or a visit from
police if things are getting noisy or out of hand. If students
are hosting a small get-together and strangers start showing up,
turn them away or call the police for assistance. If students are
being proactive, it’s unlikely they’ll ticket during
the visit.
- Plan properly if hosting people and think about image. Students
should have trash cans by exits and pick up trash right away in
the yard. They should not wait until noon the next day. It’s
also important that students host only the number of people than
their location or bathrooms can handle. They should never let people
urinate in the yard. Neighbors notice how students treat their
home and they make assumptions about how they will treat people
based on those observations!
Occupancy
- It is important to know the zoning laws for the number of unrelated
people allowed in the apartment or house. Some areas are zoned
for four or five unrelated people, but many are only zoned for
three unrelated people, even if there are more bedrooms available.
- Encourage students to make informed choices about the occupancy
of their dwelling. If they knowingly over-occupy, they must be
willing to take the chance of being evicted and dealing with the
hassle and disruption it will cause in the middle or end of a semester.
Safety
The University is located in an urban setting. Students are easy
prey for theft. Encourage students to think about safety and
security. Tell your student:
- Lock doors and windows (especially when not home!). They should
tell friends to use the doorbell or call ahead.
- Lock cars, even if they’re in the driveway—even if
they’re just running back to the house for something. Don’t
leave things visible in cars when parked!
- When leaving the house or apartment for breaks, put valuables out
of sight or take them with you. Don’t take any chances!
- Lock your bike!
- Look at your schedule and plan ahead when walking to/from home.
Streets are lit well but not many sidewalks are. Don’t walk
alone. Find a friend or call for a free escort (612-624-WALK).
- Remember, crime is not just caused by strangers in your neighborhood;
students steal from students. Lock valuables away when hosting
a gathering.
-
It does help to know your neighbors so you’ll know who’s
out of place.
Getting involved
Part of being a good neighbor is being aware of issues in the neighborhood
and getting involved in some way. There are several community organizations
that have great opportunities for students to stay informed and
make good connections.
The neighborhood associations offer:
- An active committee structure giving input on important matters
in the community and offer many ways to complement a major or round
out a resume in areas such as environmental issues, history, horticulture,
zoning and planning and grassroots organizing to name a few. They
are actively seeking student volunteers to partner on initiatives
and community service and many have permanent student seats on
their boards.
- Up-to-date communication about what’s happening: monthly
e-newsletters with updates about crime in the neighborhood and
safety tips; reminders about program opportunities; links to useful
community information; and invitations to provide feedback to the
city on important matters (e.g., library closings, zoning changes).
-
Community service opportunities each year: connecting with SE Seniors
or the SE Reads program; neighborhood-wide garage sale; neighborhood
clean up; and social events like cookouts or block parties, movies
in the park, art festivals, and more. Students can help plan events
or just enjoy the fun of being part of an active, welcoming community.
To see what the neighborhoods are like, here’s a list of
the many local neighborhoods near the Minneapolis campus:
Marcy-Holmes, www.marcy-holmes.org;
Southeast Como, www.secomo.org;
Prospect Park, www.pperr.org;
Stadium Village, www.stadiumvillage.com;
A commercial district called Dinkytown, www.dinkytownusa.com;
Seward, www.sng.org; and
Cedar Riverside (which includes the West Bank campus). Neighborhoods
near the St. Paul campus:
Saint Anthony Park, www.sap.org;
Como Park of St. Paul, www.comopark.com; and
the City of Falcon Heights, www.ci.falcon-heights.mn.us.
Want some information about Minneapolis neighborhoods?
Go to www.unitedwaytwincities.org/communityinfo/reports.cfm
Learn more about the great cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul
at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us and www.ci.stpaul.mn.us.
How Parents Can Help
Students look to their parents as the teacher or role model of
what is appropriate behavior in a neighborhood.
- Be sure you’ve sent your student the right message about
being a proactive, respectful neighbor, an active community member
and a person who will make good choices.
- Remind them of the neighbors who’ve been important in your
lives over the years. Putting stories next to faces may make all
the difference for any future neighbors they may have.
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