Rutgers, New Brunswick support ‘good neighbor’ ideas

Both Rutgers and the city of New Brunswick believe that students and residents should learn how to be good neighbors. 

To bring this into action, officials from the University and the city gathered at the College Avenue Student Center yesterday and traveled door-to-door to greet residents and remind them of the principles of being a good neighbor. 

Kenneth Cop, chief of the Rutgers University Police Department, said the program was in its third year. Rutgers and New Brunswick officials divided into teams to hand out brochures. 

The brochures include information on fire and home safety, party etiquette and fines for different violations. 

“We can measure the success by how the program is growing and by the positive community response,” he said. 

He told his coworkers to avoid “breaking out the new ticket book” and instead focus on putting out a good face to the community. 

Glenn Patterson, the director of Planning, Community & Economic Development for New Brunswick, emphasized the importance of extra outreach in the community. 

The target of their program, the fifth and sixth wards, are student-dominated, leading to a high turnover, he said. New Brunswick wanted to ensure that each year’s residents are kept up-to-date. 

He particularly enjoyed hearing their questions and comments.

“It’s interesting hearing back from people … about their perceptions on what is great and where we can concentrate more resources,” he said.

The initiative was tied to recent attempts to improve New Brunswick’s community, he said. The city recently installed bike parking spots next to the Barnes and Noble on Somerset Street and was celebrating the recent construction on Hamilton Street and Bartlett Street.

Richard Edwards, chancellor of Rutgers New-Brunswick campus and executive vice president of Academic Affairs, said the session was a good way to foster community between RUPD and the New Brunswick Police Department, and introduce them both to residents. 

“I’m really delighted to have so many volunteers to get the word out to a broader segment of the community,” he said.

After a dinner and information session, roughly 100 volunteers divided to cover their assigned sectors of the neighborhood. 

As she walked toward her section on Prosper or Stone Street, Karen Ardizzone, associate director of Student Involvement and Community Service, discussed how she became involved with the event. 

She works closely with the Office of Community Affairs in her job and had sent students to the program in the event. But this year, she decided she had to actually do it. 

“A lot of my work has to do with giving back to the community, and I wanted to be a part of that, helping the community and knowing the needs of the community,” she said.

Students often move in to their houses with no clue about the rules of the city, Ardizzone said. 

They also may not understand the demands of permanent New Brunswick residents, who sometimes live alongside them, she said. 

She walked down the streets with police officers from Rutgers and New Brunswick as well as an official from Rutgers University Health Services. As they went, they knocked on each door and left a brochure on the door when no one answered. 

When students answered, the team explained the purpose of the brochure and started a conversation about the material.