Letter: Student displeased with behavior of peers at Narragansett Town Council meeting

By:

Posted: 10/17/07

10/17/07 - To the Cigar,

There seems to be a strange disconnect in the minds of many University of Rhode Island students in regard to the orange sticker policy enacted by the Narragansett Town Council. What I see as cause and effect, many seem to view as more of a great injustice: the targeting of college students by grumpy old ladies who enjoy nothing more than shutting down a party.

What I mean by cause and effect is this. For many years, the town of Narragansett has dealt with noise complaints, public nuisances and various cases of public drunkenness and defecation. The effect was a sticker policy designed as a deterrent for these acts. The cause of the sticker policy was not mean old women and a Nazi town council. The cause was the decision of URI students to give little regard to the quality of life of their neighbors. The effect, or consequence, is the sticker policy we see today.

In a democratic society, one can clearly see public opinion at work within an area's legislation. The opinion that I see is quite obvious. The people of Narragansett are so disturbed by the behavior of URI students, (one man at the Town Council meeting said his wife wanted to sell the house and move) that they organized and created a bill with strict consequences for offenders.

So here we are, at a Town Council meeting, our chance to make a lasting impact for the community, to show the respect that we have for Narragansett and its permanent residents. How do we show our respect? At one point, students laughed at a woman who spoke with a heavy accent and her speech was mockingly applauded over in order to drown out her points. She was given the right to talk by the council but was stopped by the immaturity of the students representing the entire campus at the meeting.

Before this meeting took place I had a strong feeling that we stood little chance of fighting this democratically-approved cause and effect ordinance. But after the blatant disrespect for the community that several (not all) of the URI attendees showed at the meeting, our chances of fighting the sticker policy are virtually one in a million.

We have lost what little credibility we had to the Town Council last night because of the behavior of a few people, no doubt the same kind of people that are responsible for the disturbances that pushed the town to create their sticker policy.

I know that my opinion is in the minority, but shouldn't the Student Senate be working to enact policy that is practical and stands a chance of improving student life? Purchasing boxes of orange wristbands (anyone know how much they cost?) and fighting the vast majority of taxpaying property owners in Narragansett is not only impractical, it is a drain of the senate's resources and time.

What I feel is missing from the senate is not responsiveness to the students' opinions, but something that is vital to the way our republic functions: insulation from mob rule. I feel that working for impractical causes simply because they are popular is irresponsible.

Sometimes it is just as important to keep reality in mind and not just public opinion, something our own federal government in recent years has failed to do.

The best way for URI students to fight the sticker policy is to show the community that they respect the community and the best way to do this is to follow the ordinance. Have parties that don't get out of control or disturb neighbors late into the night. Not abiding by Narragansett's wishes will only bring harsher punishments. In the words of one of Narragansett's residents last night, "Welcome to the real world."

Jordan Kert