After 15 nuisance party citations were issued the weekend before school started, city officials remain optimistic about the results of the new ordinance. A total of 30 citations have been issued since the ordinance was passed.
In an effort to help people understand the new ordinances, the Inter-Fraternity Council and Panhellenic Council will hold a forum at 7p.m. tonight in 111 Olscamp about the party ordinance. Mayor John Quinn, city prosecutor Matt Reger, Student Legal Services Managing Attorney Rodney Fleming, Brad Connor of the Bowling Green Police Division and Zickar will answer questions at the forum.
IFC Liability Awareness Chairman Mike Kirk said he expects a large audience of students and residents.
“I’m hoping to expect over 300 people,” Kirk said. “I don’t want to specifically say students. It’s open to everyone.”
Fleming will speak to students about how they can avoid being cited under the nuisance party ordinance. He is currently representing about 12 students who have received citations, and their trials are in November.
Many citations the first weekend occurred on Wooster Street, while most of the preceding citations happened on streets south of Wooster.
Students have been charged with underage consumption or possession of alcohol at several of the parties where citations were issued. Two minors were arrested at one party.
While working with the students, Fleming also wants to file some court motions on certain issues.
“The main one is the vagueness of the statute,” he said. “Basically, it seems like you can be in violation of the statute for actions not only occurring on your property, but on your neighbor’s property. Vagueness and overbroad are two of the issues, and that goes to a constitutional right of assembly.”
Lieutenant Brad Biller of the Bowling Green Police Division said although the number of citations is significant, it was nothing he found surprising.
“I guess a lot of people had the expectation that they can consume alcoholic beverages, and they can party without ramification,” Biller said. “There’s an awful lot of laws out there that people don’t ever think they’re going to be held accountable for, and underage drinking and possession of narcotics are two of those things people never really think they’ll be caught doing.”
The nuisance party ordinance, enacted in August, prohibits any party with disorderly conduct, public urination, underage possession or consumption of alcohol, unlawfully loud noise or any other behavior that threatens damage.
Anyone who receives a citation is guilty of a minor misdemeanor and a fourth degree misdemeanor if another citation is issued within six months.
Another ordinance, the nuisance property ordinance, was enacted at the same time. It states that any property receiving two nuisance party citations within six months is considered a nuisance property.
This requires the landlord to to set up a remediation plan with tenants after the first citation or risk a $500 fine.
Although citations keep occurring, Mike Zickar, 2nd ward city councilman, said he does not see the ordinance as a failure or success.
“To me, it’s still too early to judge this. I guess there’s certainly a learning period for all of us — the city and the students,” Zickar said.
In late August, volunteers and city officials handed out welcome bags, which included information on nuisance parties, to off-campus students and held a cookout that evening.
The city hopes to make changes that will include less information about partying if the welcome bag program is done again. City officials said the student reaction was mixed, and some students believed the city was telling them to stop partying. According to Biller, this reaction was not fair to the University and community.
“I guess from my standpoint, I don’t consider that to be a real responsible view to take on the University’s efforts and the community’s efforts to take a standpoint on this,” Biller said.
Along with tonight’s forum, there will also be a community meeting Oct. 7 at the Bowling Green Public Library for people to voice concerns.
Although some people may be concerned the ordinance limits them from partying, Reger assures that is not the case.
“The city has never said we don’t want students to enjoy their time in Bowling Green,” he said. “What we want them to have is parties that follow the law, and they’re not disruptive to neighbors and they don’t have illegal behavior.”
