What's All The Noise About?
If you are an Elon student who has been on Facebook in the past week, you have probably heard that the Town of Elon changed the laws regarding noise complaints. You have probably also heard everyone freaking out that off-campus parties are basically going to go extinct. Whether you signed the petition or not, I thought it might be helpful to breakdown what this new ordinance actually means for the social scene here at Elon.
The real and only point that upset the student body was that officers are no longer required to give out a verbal warning before shutting a party down or handing out citations. So once people heard this, well they basically lost it. Everyone thought they were going to be getting citations (read: fines from $50-100) left and right. These new laws went into effect in January. This gave students just over a month until they took action after really feeling what the consequences would entail.
Students have now begun to fight back, hence the Change.org petition that has been floating around Facebook. In light of all of this, I began thinking about what it would really mean if Elon somehow managed to control the entire social scene on and off campus. Apparently, Elon Campus Police are the ones who have been calling in the complaints (maybe add according to who).
In my opinion the idea that all parties could cease to exist seems unreasonable. As young adults who are now no longer living under their parent’s roof, it seems reasonable that we should be allowed to have fun safely within our means. Is that not what college is for?
There was no horrific incident that brought on this change as far as I know. Now, I am not saying that something terrible had to happen for the Town of Elon to take interest in its residents, but a crackdown like this does deem some justification.
On a positive note, Elon students are what have given the University and surrounding town one of its most well-known attractions. Nothing is more ‘Elon’ than putting on a fun outfit, having in drink (or two) with friends and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. After a long week of classes, all-nighters and an overload of other commitments, I don’t think a little noise is unwarranted.
From where I stand, we can petition all we want and we can have fun in whatever ways we chose. If this means being more mindful of the permanent residents of Elon, then that is not necessarily the worst outcome. If more time passes and students start getting unjustified punishments, then I have faith as a student body that we will find a solution—together.