2008 Woodie Awards
Off-campus seniors fined $1,000 by University after neighbor complaints to SPBD, Mayor
Jenn Metz
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
After moving into their off-campus house in August, Notre Dame seniors Taylor Montgomery, Joey Brown, James DuBray and Lorenzo Reyes, a sports writer for The Observer, threw a party.
Neighbors, concerned with the noise and crowds gathering outside the residence at number 815 E. Wayne St., called the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) twice during the night of the party on Aug. 29.
DuBray and his roommates showed The Observer the police records from that night from 9:47 p.m. and 11:18 p.m., stating neighbors' complaints: "Loud music coming from resident, caller would like it turned down" and "large ND party, throwing trash around, throwing bottles at houses," respectively.
Police officers who went to the house that night advised the seniors to stop the loud music and to take the party inside after the first complaint, and upon the second complaint, warned that a citation would be issued if the police had to return a third time.
DuBray said the police did not come back that night, and that no citations or tickets were issued.
"That's why we were kind of shocked to get a letter from ResLife," he said, referring to the Office of Residence Life and Housing (ORLH).
The residents of the E. Wayne St. house received letters from ORLH on Sept. 9, after a letter written by the concerned neighbors circulated through the offices of the Mayor of South Bend and were received by the University.
Earlier that week on Sept. 4, the seniors received a notice to abate from the City of South Bend's Department of Law, citing them in violation of the Disorderly House Ordinance, South Bend Municipal Code Section 13-75.5, and deeming the house a "public nuisance."
A Sept. 11 South Bend Tribune article titled "Police cracking down on student parties" refers specifically to this party. Ervin Baker, a resident of the 800-block of E. Wayne St. is quoted in the article saying bottles were broken on neighbors' porches and that "the only way to get it taken care of was to get it on record with a complaint, so several people in the neighborhood called."
Neighbors, concerned with the noise and crowds gathering outside the residence at number 815 E. Wayne St., called the South Bend Police Department (SBPD) twice during the night of the party on Aug. 29.
DuBray and his roommates showed The Observer the police records from that night from 9:47 p.m. and 11:18 p.m., stating neighbors' complaints: "Loud music coming from resident, caller would like it turned down" and "large ND party, throwing trash around, throwing bottles at houses," respectively.
Police officers who went to the house that night advised the seniors to stop the loud music and to take the party inside after the first complaint, and upon the second complaint, warned that a citation would be issued if the police had to return a third time.
DuBray said the police did not come back that night, and that no citations or tickets were issued.
"That's why we were kind of shocked to get a letter from ResLife," he said, referring to the Office of Residence Life and Housing (ORLH).
The residents of the E. Wayne St. house received letters from ORLH on Sept. 9, after a letter written by the concerned neighbors circulated through the offices of the Mayor of South Bend and were received by the University.
Earlier that week on Sept. 4, the seniors received a notice to abate from the City of South Bend's Department of Law, citing them in violation of the Disorderly House Ordinance, South Bend Municipal Code Section 13-75.5, and deeming the house a "public nuisance."
A Sept. 11 South Bend Tribune article titled "Police cracking down on student parties" refers specifically to this party. Ervin Baker, a resident of the 800-block of E. Wayne St. is quoted in the article saying bottles were broken on neighbors' porches and that "the only way to get it taken care of was to get it on record with a complaint, so several people in the neighborhood called."