Proposed ordinance targets rowdy students

By Jeff Trull

The City of New Bedford is considering adopting an ordinance that would bring tough penalties against resident students and their landlords. The ordinance, which has been proposed by New Bedford City Council President Jane L. Gonsalves, would result in fines and other penalties for residents who have loud parties that disrupt neighbors.

The proposal, which is still being drafted, will be similar to one that’s already in place in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Under the Narragansett ordinance, if police are called to the scene, the residents will be put on a “Nuisance House List” for 60 days. If police are called to that residence within those 60 days, residents are cited and punishment for first time offenders is a mandatory minimum $250 fine. Gonsalves has also proposed that landlords bear some responsibility for complaints by implementing strong penalties against them, as well. Although the proposed rules do not apply only to college students, the proposal is definitely aimed at them.

Currently, there are many students living in New Bedford. Most students that rent an apartment off-campus live there. With little housing available in Dartmouth, New Bedford is the next closest to live. The commute is relatively short and rental costs are among the cheapest around. Many people living in New Bedford pay around $400 a month to rent. This is a more affordable option compared to dorms, which cost around $600 or more each month. Other students are sick of the dorms and want to live elsewhere. Whatever the reason, New Bedford is the best option for UMD students who live off-campus.

With the new ordinance in place, students may be discouraged from living there. While the proposal doesn’t affect students who are quiet and keep to themselves, students that have parties will almost certainly be punished. Landlords may now think twice about renting to college students. Gonsalves has propsed that landlords may be responsible when renting to two or more unrelated people, which is often the case with college students. With the possibility of facing fines for their tenants’ behavior, landlords might decide that the risk is not worth it. Students are not protected by law against discrimination, so landlords are within their legal rights to turn them down.

Although the rules may seem harsh, the proposal is reasonable. I’m not sure to the overall extent of complaints that happen in New Bedford, but I do not think that Gonsalves’ complaint of noisy neighbors is entirely without merit. The current Narragansett code does call for police to give tenants a “courtesy warning” before taking further action. As long as this practice is followed for the majority of situations, students would hopefully use this warning in New Bedford to either quiet down or disperse the party before more serious penalties are levied. If students are not reasonably quiet after the first warning, they probably deserve to be cited by police anyway. No one likes to be woken up at 3 a.m. by loud neighbors no matter who you are. If you put yourself in the place of neighbors, who may be children or elderly, being inconsiderately noisy is unfair and disrespectful.

The new rules have not been enacted yet, but it seems to be a possibility very soon. As long as the ordinance is properly followed by police and other officials, I think the proposal is fair. I understand that something needs to be done to curb this problem, but city councilors and residents should still think long and hard about the potential consequences of the change. The ordinance would not directly impact quiet and well-behaved students, but it may make it tougher for students overall to rent an apartment in New Bedford.

SOUL SIGHTINGS

The rescue of the Danish Jews

Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom HaShoah) falls on Friday, May 2 this year. I recently participated in a panel discussion, organized and moderated by Dr. Steven J. Baden entitled “Life with the Enemy: The Nazi Occupation of Denmark and Norway.” I spoke about the rescue of the Danish Jews. Much of the specific information I presented was gathered by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. A summary of what I said follows.

During the time of the Holocaust, the experience of the Jews in Denmark was unique and in strong contrast to the Jewish experience in many other European countries. When Germany occupied Denmark, on April 9, 1940, the Jewish population was approximately 7,500. About 6,000 of these Jews were Danish citizens and about 1,500 were refugees. Most Jews lived in the country’s capital, Copenhagen. The Danish authorities got a tip that the Germans were planning to arrest and deport the Danish Jews on the night of October 1-2, 1943. They warned the Jewish community who, with the help of their non-Jewish neighbors and friends, was able to quickly hide. The Danish police refused to cooperate with their arrest. Popular protests against arresting the Jews quickly came from various quarters such as churches and the Danish royal family. The Danish resistance, with the help of many ordinary citizens, organized a rescue operation. It brought the Jewish population to the coast and fishermen ferried them to neutral Sweden. In total, some 100 Danish Jews died during the Holocaust either in Nazi camps or during flight from Denmark. This relatively small number represents one of the highest Jewish survival rates for any European country.

I have a friend whose mother was rescued from Denmark as a child. She grew up, had children. Now she has grandchildren. As it says in the Talmud, every life saved is an entire universe. For more discussion about Religious and Ethical Responses to the Holocaust, sign up for my class which will be offered in the fall of ’08.

Rabbi Jacqueline Romm Satlow, Director
Center for Jewish Culture

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Apartment meal plan a rip-off

“The freedom to choose” — that’s what Sodexho’s been pushing lately with advertisement on door tags and posters.

Supposedly the new meal plans offer a lot to students, but do they really? Am I the only one on campus who thinks that the special “Apartment Living 5-Meal Plan” is a total rip-off?

The 10-meal plan costs $2,762.00, and you get $330 in snack allowance and six guest passes. The five-meal plan costs $2,636.00, and you get $400 in snack allowance and four guest passes.

Going with the apartment plan, you get half the meals that the next plan up offers, yet you only save approximately $130. How on earth is that a deal? Even including the extra $70 in snack allowance that you get, you’re still paying way too much for too little.

If Sodexho is offering half of what the 10-meal plan offers, shouldn’t they be offering it at half the price?

Logic failure!

Rethink your prices for next year, and give us some real freedom to choose. It seems like we’re just being scammed.

I know that I, personally, would rather go without a meal plan than waste my money like that.

Aubrey Ramsdell
Class of 2010