[NU Sports] And then there's this

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

> I understand that too much drinking is a problem and that
> students living off-campus have an obligation to be good
> neighbors just like anyone else.  However, I do think
> (a) people who move within blocks of a college ought not
> complain about typical college student behavior unless they
> moved there before the university was in town, and (b) to
> the extent that this is a problem for NU, it is a problem
> largely of our alma mater's own making.

I agree wholeheartedly on point A. It's no secret where students live in Evanston - heck, with the outbreak of luxury condos, there are only a few places where students CAN live off campus anymore (another problem, as we need off-campus housing or else we need to add another lakefill to build dorms!). They obviously knew there were students there, so use common sense on the evening of the one night football game allowed each year! :) And honestly, those pictures are indistinguishable from any backyard in Chicagoland after the Fourth of July or Labor Day weekend.

As for point B, I don't really think it's NU's fault. A lot of the steps on campus are ones they have more or less been forced to make for liability purposes. The "good ole days" of wet munchies (eeeww :) ) and 18-year-olds at a frat party ended when that first drunken idiot fell out the window and snapped his neck. Schools have had to crack down since for protection.

And as for what kids do off campus, there's no way you can pin that on the university any more than you can blame Evanston for being so hostile to the student entertainment scene.

I no longer have west lot parking since I only get to 1-2 games per year, so I walked through the neighborhoods north and west of the stadium Saturday before and after the game - nothing unusual. Mild compared to when the Hogeyes or Badgers come to visit and very mild compared to visits to Madison, State College or even West Lafayette.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT