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Neighborhood-University Relations Committee
 
The Neighborhood-University Relations Committee is charged with opening communication lines between the community and Santa Clara University in order to identify issues and foster a positive relationship between the campus and nearby residents and property owners. The Committee meets several times a year.
 
Originally established in 1990 as the Student Housing Committee, the Neighborhood-University Relations Committee includes the Mayor and two Council members as well as student and staff representatives from SCU and residents who live in the neighborhoods adjacent to the school. Groups who have participated in the committee and meetings include the Old Quad Residents' Association, the Alviso Street Area Neighborhood Group, the Student Government of Santa Clara University/Associated Students Group, University officials, the Citizens Advisory Committee, the Historical & Landmarks Commission, and local residents, landlords and property owners. In addition, several City departments attend the committee meetings on a regular basis, including representatives from the Police Department, Planning & Inspection Department, City Attorney's Office and City Manager's Office.
 
The committee was reformulated in conjunction with a plan of action adopted by the City Council in November 2001. Successful programs the Committee has undertaken to address neighborhood issues include:
 
  • Freshman Orientation and Dormitory Forums. The Police Department attends freshman orientation at SCU, and forums at dormitories arranged by resident advisors, to address both crime prevention and behavior expectation.
  • Neighborhood "Walk-about." At the beginning of each school year, student body officials, neighborhood residents, and Police officers go door-to-door in the University area to discuss with students neighborhood interests and concerns.
  • Disturbing the Peace/Second Response Ordinances. Two ordinances were enacted to enhance the Police Department's ability to respond to disturbing the peace complaints, including accelerated enforcement ability for repeat violations.
  • Team 200. Team 200 is the unit designation for police officers assigned specifically to the SCU area for enforcement purposes. They respond to calls for University-area service, enforce a zero-tolerance policy toward alcohol violations, and addresses specific crime problems in the area.
  • Alviso Street Neighborhood Watch. Alviso Street and several other streets in the area comprised of full time residents as well as students, are organized into Police Department Neighborhood Watch programs, to work together to emphasize crime prevention strategies.
  • University/Landlord/Resident/Student Forums. The University has organized a significant number of public forums that include all the above listed groups, as well as representatives of the City and its Police Department, to foster a greater understanding of unique issues in the University area.
  • Amplified Music Permits. The use of outdoor amplification equipment requires a permit from the City. Past records of the property requesting the permit are reviewed for prior Police response to noise complaints before a permit will be issued.
  • Student Sunday Morning Litter Pickup. Members of the SCU Student Council have organized Sunday morning cleanups of Market Street and sometimes Bellomy and Washington Streets, picking up litter from the street and lawns of adjacent properties.
  • National Night Out. Students and full time area residents participate in National Night Out, getting to know one another better, and teaming up to prevent crime in their neighborhoods (see related article on page 9).
 
Although the Neighborhood-University Relations Committee still reviews student housing issues, its agendas also include broader concerns of the campus and community such as parking, noise, littering, and other problems. Meetings of this group allow all interested/affected parties to present their points of view and discuss cooperative resolutions. It also provides a forum for updates on activities and future plans on the campus and in the community that impact SCU and the neighborhood.
 
For more information on the dates and locations of this committee's meetings, contact the City's Planning & Inspection Department at 615-2450.