Like a good neighbor, UNC is there

Noisy, a bit messy and scattered all over Chapel Hill, students living off campus not only have to learn how to be good neighbors, but also how to beat the stereotypes.

The Good Neighbor Initiative has been working for almost a decade to solve these problems by improving relations between student residents and their community neighbors.

“We work on connecting the community and the students so that they can live harmoniously among each other,” said Aaron Bachenheimer, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Community Involvement, which leads the initiative.

Students can get involved and participate in events that bring together the community.

Programs focus on the areas that are immediately adjacent to campus, Bachenheimer said.

“We go door to door the day before classes start and we literally knock on about 1,000 doors to talk about local laws and expectations, as well as noise and trash,” he said.

Events include an annual neighborhood walk and a block party.

The block party usually has about 60 volunteers and about 400 attendees, Bachenheimer said, describing it as a celebration of living together.

The Good Neighbor Initiative grew out of the Chapel Hill Police Department, he said.

After receiving complaints from the same housing complexes year after year, police officers decided to be proactive and discuss issues with students living off campus before the problems occurred, Bachenheimer said.

“Over time, the University got involved and the community got involved,” he said.

Bachenheimer said many student organizations participate, such as the Carolina Union Activities Board and groups in the Greek community.

He said the initiative is trying to create more opportunities for students to interact with their community neighbors.

“We are working on developing a week of service projects with many of our same community partners that would bring together student and non-student residents in the Northside Neighborhood,” Bachenheimer said.

The Good Neighbor Initiative also works closely with student government.

“We work to be the student voice of the town,” said Natalie Meyer, chairwoman of the town and external relations committee.

“We have been involved for a number of years, trying to get student volunteers to come out for the neighborhood walk-around.”

The Town of Chapel Hill also participates in the project and helps connect community members and student groups.

“We have a lot of community partners that all have a similar mission,” said Megan Wooley, housing and neighborhood services planner.

“I think it is a really great partnership between the University and the town,” she said.

“It shows that we can really come and work together.”

Wooley said the program also focuses on teaching students how to act as adults.

“We just really want to help students understand their responsibilities,” she said.

Contact the desk editor at university@dailytarheel.com.