Main campus is buzzing with news of room picks, and off-campus is quickly populating with parties now that the weather is nice. Now is the perfect time to remind yourself what being a good neighbor is all about. It isn’t hard and it doesn’t take much effort at all – it’s just about being considerate.
Be Friendly
Okay, so you don’t have to be best friends. But at some point, you probably want to introduce yourself to the people living closest to you, especially if you’re in two apartments in the same house. If you’re at least acquaintances, they’ll be more likely to give you a break if you’re loud once in a while or if you need to borrow cooking supplies. Plus, if you do become friends, you can invite them to your social events and guarantee that they’re not the ones complaining in the early hours of the morning. If it turns out that you’d rather not be the best of friends with your neighbors, that’s ok too. Just be nice and say hi when you pass each other on the street or the hall. Acting like a snob will not win you brownie points on the weekend.
Mind Your Volume
As neighborly behavior tends to revolve around social events, it makes sense that volume should be an issue. Before the party starts, stand outside your house and see how loud your sound system really is. Then think about people chatting on your porch, and assess your volume. A roaring party might be fine until midnight in the student-dominated areas off campus, but even some students like to sleep at 3 am. End parties at a reasonable hour, and try to keep your guests from being too loud on the way out.
Take Responsibility for Guests
The damage is done before you know it – a rowdy party guest pulled up some flowers, broke a window, or used the side of your neighbor’s house as a porta-potty while the line inside was long. Irresponsible behavior from guests isn’t even limited to a party atmosphere, sometimes people just so dumb things. But in any case, as the person responsible for bringing them into your neighborhood, be prepared to take responsibility if your neighbors come looking for an explanation. Keep in mind, your neighbor doesn’t know your guest or where they live, but they do know where you live. If they felt the need to call the cops, they would come knocking on your door first. But this is just the worst case scenario; hopefully the most responsibility you have to take is cleaning up a few beer cans scattered in the lawn.
These points don’t just apply to off-campus students. Even when you’re living in the residence halls, a little common courtesy goes a long way. Say hello when you pass someone in the hall, keep your music and guest volume down, and clean up after yourself in the bathroom. Your hallmates will be thankful that your neighbor skills rank near Mr. Rogers.
-Leland Strott
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