Kathryn Rosenbaum
Editor-in-Chief
Rachel Peters
Ann Tassone
Darren LaCour
Senior News Editors
The Xavier Newswire 3800 Victory Parkway Cincinnati, Ohio 45207-2129 On-campus location: The Publications House, 3739 Ledgewood Dr. Telephone: 513.745.3607 Advertising: 513.745.3561 Fax: 513.745.2898 Email: Kathryn Rosenbaum
Editor-in-Chief Nathan Sergio
Advertising Manager Full list of staff contacts www.xu.edu/newswire
Norwood Police urge restraint, respect
Kelly Shaw
Senior News Writer
norwoodpolice.org
The Norwood Police Department has arrested 12 students in the opening weeks of school, “when the biggest parties are going to happen,” says Lt. Tom Williams.
Though they frequent the Newswire’s police notes, and have become notorious in off-campus conversations, criticism of the Norwood Police Department may not be beneficial to Xavier students.
Students living in off-campus housing that is still relatively close to campus are probably patrolled by two police departments—Campus Police and Norwood Police. In fact, the Norwood Police have recently increased their patrol of the south end of Norwood, according to Lt. Tom Williams, of the NPD.
“During the school year we do step up our controls at the south end. Especially at the beginning of school, end of school and during the breaks because usually we know that that’s when the biggest parties are going to happen,” Williams said.
While this ensures a great amount of protection for Xavier students, it also may lead to discontent from those students throwing the “biggest parties.”
This year 12 arrests by the NPD have been listed in the Newswire police notes. Other citations and arrests have also been made by Campus Police who have been notified by Norwood Police.
From the North Avondale Neighborhood Association’s monthly newsletter:
The neighbors of the off-campus party houses in North Avondale are committed to changing the pattern which has repeated year after year. The residents in our community reject the idea that everyone else should move out and give these areas over to student housing. We expect all residents to respect each other and not to disturb people who live nearby.
The NANA Rental Housing Committee is working with residents and collaborating with the police to change this pattern. A flyer is being passed out to students concerning fire & alcohol safety as well as what the neighborhood expects of students. This has allowed neighbors to meet the students and exchange phone numbers, discuss expectations and offer help.
The committee works with the residents and the police to make the landlords accountable for the tenants they accept and continue to retain.
They work with Xavier University to make all involved understand that respect and consideration for each other are required of all of us who share the neighborhood. They support arrests for behaviors that warrant it. So police may be prepared, residents are urged to call the police to alert them when there are signs of the beginnings of a party such as bringing in a beer keg or large quantities of alcohol.
Cincinnati Police (765-1212) Xavier Campus Police (745-1000) Inform Dr. Luther Smith, Dean of Students (745-3202) of the information you would like Xavier to know. Do not be put off if the person answering the call does not take your complaint seriously. Ask their name and report it to the committee at 751-8334 and if you choose to their supervisor.
“It’s natural that we’ve had our run-ins when it comes to off campus housing,” Williams said.
“We seem to see that a majority of the students do go by the rules and are decent law-abiding citizens. However, we do have a few [houses] that will…become the party houses and that’s where the problems start.”
The main concerns for Williams and the NPD are underage drinking, public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
“I know kids are going to have their fun; however, when you’re living in a neighborhood, don’t be walking down the street with an open container, don’t be throwing trash in the neighbor’s yard. If you’re being loud and disorderly, you’re going to be arrested,” Williams said.
Additionally, Williams says defiance will not benefit students, the Norwood community or the police. Instead, he encourages students to be cooperative and courteous with the police and to assist their friends who may be making bad decisions.
“Try to be your brother’s keeper,” Williams said.
While there has seemed to be an increase in Norwood patrol this year, Williams says he believes the problems are not as bad as previous years, and that Xavier has done a good job emphasizing respect toward neighbors.
“Ninety-nine percent of Xavier students are good young adults and the thing is, you don’t want that one percent to spoil it for the rest of you,” Williams said. “The more [students] hold themselves more accountable, the less problems there will be. If [students] have questions or concerns we’d be happy to talk, but they have to understand that we have a job to do.”
Climate and Sustainability Committee pushing Xavier toward carbon neutrality
John LaFollette
Editor-in-Chief
Charged with the monumental task of achieving carbon neutrality for Xavier University, the Climate and Sustainability Committee has made measurable progress in the preliminary stages of meeting the Presidents Climate Commitment that Xavier President Fr. Michael Graham, S.J. signed in January.
While the committee has been working on the three tiers of requirements that the commitment articulates, its most immediate efforts have been to inventory the university’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the committee’s co-chair, Dr. Kathleen Smythe of the history department.
The subcommittee in charge of this project, which Smythe described as the “first major step,” has set a goal of January 2009 to measure, to the fullest extent possible, Xavier’s carbon footprint.
Concurrently, an Institutional Action Plan subcommittee has devised a loose strategy by which Xavier can achieve carbon neutrality.
The tentative plan includes offsetting travel emissions, implementing environmentally friendly construction policies, purchasing with sustainability in mind and enhancing Xavier’s curriculum with an environmental focus.
With an eye to the present and near future, the Tangible Action subcommittee has taken steps to minimize Xavier’s immediate environmental impact, through purchasing initiatives and building practices.
Still, there are problems intrinsic to the project. There are large gaps in the emissions inventory due to the lack of detail in records kept by the university.
“Most universities don’t keep books for us to adequately inventory [carbon emissions],” Smythe said. “While people have been very willing to give us the information they have, it’s not a full enough set of information- it’s just as good as we can get.”
While it is not required by the the Commitment to do so, the Instituional Action Plan also includes efforts to make Xavier’s food service more sustainable.
But while the committee may be dedicated, the speed at which they can work is limited by their other roles on campus, and by the lack of input from Xavier community members not serving on the committee.
In addition to her teaching duties, Smythe is also a Co-chair of the Ethics/Religion and Society program.
Her Co-chair on the Climate and Sustainability Committee, Dave Lococo, is also the director of Physical Plant, which has seen its responsibilities increased.
There are currently no paid staff in this implementation effort, according to Smythe, though she was quick to point to an upside.
“The benefit is that you get more vibrant input from across the university,” she said. On the other hand, progress, she said, is “relatively slow, when from my perspective, we need to be going at the speed of light.”