Full Notification

FALL 2014 QUALITY-OF-LIFE LETTER


BURLINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT (BPD)
Michael Schirling
Chief of Police
Phone (802) 658-2704


UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT (UVM)
David Nestor Aya Al-Namee, President
Dean of Students Student Government Association Phone (802) 656-3380 Phone (802) 656-7736



Fall Quality-of-Life Initiative in Burlington Neighborhoods
August 14, 2014
Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling
UVM Dean of Students David Nestor
UVM SGA President Aya Al-Namee


“As a UVM alum and on behalf of the women and men of the Burlington Police
Department, I am excited to welcome students back to the community for the 2014-2015 school year,” said Chief Mike Schirling. “The City is a diverse place with students, professionals, retirees, children, and a host of others living in close quarters. Each brings something special to make Burlington among the most vibrant places in the nation. Your efforts to ensure that our neighborhoods remain great places to play, live, study, work and yes - sleep - are greatly appreciated!”

As we enter the 2014-2015 academic year the City of Burlington Police and its partners:

• The University of Vermont
o UVM Student Government Association and the UVM Community Coalition
o Police Services
o Office of Student and Community Relations and the Student-Neighbor Liaison Program
• Community and Economic Development Office
• Code Enforcement Office

would like to welcome new residents and students to the Burlington community and to spread the word about quality-of-life initiatives and concerns.

Each fall these partners join together to provide education and outreach in efforts such as door-to-door fliers, e-mail newsletters, and off-campus-living workshops in an effort to sustain and improve the quality-of-life in Burlington neighborhoods. Material is distributed and initiatives are carried out to help address the challenges of:

• Personal safety (e.g., “Crime Prevention Tip Sheet”)
• Housing safety and tenant rights and responsibilities (e.g., Off Campus Living Workshops and Off Campus Living Survival Guide)
• Noise in the neighborhoods (e.g., “Have a Heart” campaign)
• Underage drinking and drinking in public areas/on the street (e.g., StepUP: Think/Care/Act marketing campaign)
• Parking (e.g., Parking Regulations section of the Off Campus Living Survival Guide)
• Trash and proper recycling (e.g., “The Guide to Sustainable Living in Burlington”)
• Addressing neighborhood conflicts (e.g., conflict resolution services of the Burlington Community Support Program and the UVM Office of Student and Community Relations)

and to help new residents, primarily students, with the challenges of living on their own, often for the first time.

UVM is also making a concerted effort to engage new students in programs and activities during Opening Weekend (8/22 – 8/24) that will encourage them to stay on campus and not be in the neighborhoods late at night. Highlights of the programs include a late-night Campus Hop, Late-Night Rec Fest, and Club 590 music in the Davis Center.

The neighborhood initiatives will begin with the university’s September distribution of over 500 Welcome Bags, delivered with a conversation, to students living in Burlington neighborhoods. The bag includes items such as the Off Campus Living Survival Guide (which includes city ordinances; crime prevention tips; and good neighbor information), Renting in Vermont brochure, and an off-campus resource magnet. The UVM StepUP: Think/Care/Act campaign will be marketing messages to students about personal safety and being a responsible community member.

In addition to the educational campaigns underway, specialized enforcement details will also be deployed to strictly enforce the laws and ordinances that are designed to create a foundation for a high quality-of-life in Burlington. Those initiatives include:

• Roving quality-of-life foot patrols targeting noise, underage and public drinking, and parking issues.
• Bicycle patrols
• Extra cruiser patrols
• Joint patrols between UVM and Burlington Police
• UVM-BPD-Code Enforcement joint response to houses that are identified by police reports as having caused repeat disturbances in neighborhoods

A joint letter from the UVM Student Government Association President Aya Al-Namee and the UVM Dean of Students David Nestor will also be distributed to all UVM students by e-mail. Among other things, the letter talks about the quality-of-life initiatives being undertaken and asks students to be safe and respectful of their neighbors.

“On behalf of the SGA I want to warmly welcome all returning and in-coming students,” said President Aya Al-Namee. “We are excited to have you on campus and in the city of Burlington. We will be collaborating with the UVM Office of Student and Community Relations and Residential Life to provide you with resources that will ease your transition on and off campus. And we will be offering programs that will help you and the residents of Burlington enjoy our beautiful city and build a community together.”

We are hopeful that with extra attention given to both the education and enforcement initiatives that all residents will enjoy a safe and harmonious fall season. For more information, including informational brochures, and downloadable “Off Campus Living Survival Guide” visit the UVM Office of Student and Community Relations web site at http://www.uvm.edu/~oscr/