Pitt, Oakland community meet over improving relations

Students moving off campus next year might be required to attend informational sessions about… Students moving off campus next year might be required to attend informational sessions about off-campus living as part of a new initiative developed by Pitt in collaboration with Oakland residents.

Pitt administrators, student leaders, members of the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation and Oakland residents gathered at the O’Hara Student Center Friday to discuss possible solutions to issues between student and non-student Oakland residents.

Mary Mallampalli, chair of Student Government Board’s Community Outreach Committee, organized the Good Neighbor Luncheon to start dialogue between Pitt students and Oakland residents.

“Oakland is more than just a campus,” Mallampalli said. “There are taxpaying residents who have an interest in their community.”

About 45 invitees attended, eating and talking about solutions to issues ranging from excessive partying to dishonest landlords.

John Wilds, Pitt’s assistant vice chancellor for Community Relations, brought up concerns regarding unsafe living conditions in South Oakland.

“There is an abundance of unsafe housing out there,” Wilds said. “Landlords are preying on students and putting them into what we consider unsafe housing. The University has big concerns about that … which is why we have been building additional housing on campus, to pull students out of those unsafe houses.”

Nathan Hart, president of the Oakland Community Council, a group involved in resident and University relations, expanded on Wilds’ comment by urging students to invite building inspectors into their homes to assess possible violations.

“As the law currently stands, a building inspector cannot enter a building unless he is invited, kind of like a vampire,” Hart said. “Most landlords will not invite an inspector in, because they know that there are code violations.”

Robert Beecher, chair of SGB’s Government Relations Committee, responded to Hart and said that many students cannot tell the difference between poor and unsafe living conditions.

“I think there is something to be said for students being better educated on their rights and when they have a right to challenge landlords,” Beecher said.

Discussion then moved on to the best ways to educate students moving off campus for the first time. Possible solutions people brought up included mandatory informational sessions, emails about educating students on their rights and informational packets.

Two local landlords expressed their concerns about unacceptable student behavior in the community, specifically regarding incidents involving alcohol.

The landlords pointed to SempleFest, which traditionally occurs the last Friday before finals week. The landlords said that at the event, public and underage intoxication became such a problem that students began burning objects in the streets.

Paul Supowitz, Pitt’s vice chancellor for Governmental Relations, said that he thinks a greater show of force by the Pitt Police would have an instant effect on breaking up and preventing potentially dangerous and disruptive parties in Oakland.

However, some Oakland residents fear that calling the police on disruptive and dangerous partiers might bring retribution.

Supowitz cited one incident where someone threw a brick through a resident’s window as well as several other incidents where residents experienced intentional housing damage.

Mallampalli said after the luncheon that the event was very productive.

“Our first initiative is to educate students who are moving off campus next year,” Mallampalli said.

The Community Outreach Committee will meet tonight to discuss the specifics on implementing new educational sessions for students moving off campus next year