Author: Dean DeChiaro
Amidst the administration’s push to limit rowdy student behavior within the surrounding community, Oxy neighbor Mo Oxford has been a major advocate of limiting off-campus parties. She currently resides on Alumni Avenue and is an active member of the Eagle Rock community. Oxford’s frustration with out-of-control partying has led to a negative perception amongst Oxy students of this long-time neighbor.In the school’s recent efforts to curb disorderly student conduct, Oxford has been involved in community talks with President Jonathan Veitch, other members of the administration, ASOC President Andrew DeBlock and the LAPD. Reporter Dean DeChiaro sat down with Oxford to discuss these issues.
Weekly: Are you aware of your personal reputation within the student body as one of the more unhappy neighbors in our community concerning the way students behave off campus?Oxford: I am unhappy with some of the behaviors that I see in students, some students . . . This is a residential community around Oxy. The vast majority of people that live here are not students. They’re families. They’re people like me. And they can’t live the kind of lifestyle that some of the students choose to live. The problem is, when students have a large party or when students are noisy and loud and disturbing the peace, then we’re forced to live that lifestyle whether we want to or not . . . As a mother, as a grandmother, I have got to tell you when I see some of the students staggering down the street drunk and falling over, and I see those ambulances heading for campus or for one of these off-campus houses, you know my heart just sinks. I would never want to be the parent who gets the call saying your kid is in a coma from alcohol poisoning or dead from alcohol poisoning or, you know, was drunk and taken advantage of or any of those things. So yeah, I’ve been pretty vocal about it over the years and we’ve worked pretty hard as a community really, with a lot of neighbors, to try to change those behaviors.
You are actually pretty well- known on campus and students say that you are outside taking pictures of students. Is this true?I will videotape when there are disturbances, and it doesn’t happen as much, which is a good thing, but if there is a disturbance and there is a lot of students out here carrying on, yes, I will walk out and videotape it.
Have you sued the school? Have you sued any off-campus houses in particular?I have never sued the school. I have sued property owners . . . as a matter of fact, other neighbors have sued several property owners . . . We sued two properties on this block and it was very effective with at least one of the houses. Unfortunately, the other house – it hasn’t been as effective.
With all that’s happened with students living off-campus, in terms of school policy and the school’s relationship with the community, what do you hope to see in student behavior by the end of this year or next year?I would like to see the culture of the student body change as far a partying is concerned. We founded the neighborhood watch in 2001 and started at that point in time trying to impact those behaviors. We have seen it change over the years but there is still some room for growth. But we were all young once and I have had many students say to me, ‘Weren’t you young once? Don’t you remember what it was like?’ . . . I have spent untold hours out here at night talking to students. During the day when they walk by, I will talk with them. If they are really drunk and obnoxious, I’ll try to avoid it, but I’ll talk to students . . . I’ve had students say to me ‘We’re young we want to have fun.’ I don’t think there is any neighbor I know of who feels like that is a bad thing. What we are concerned about is how you do that and whether you do that in a way that is, first of all, in a community perspective, not a negative impact on the community . . . What I hope is that the culture changes enough to understand that you do represent Occidental out here in the community, that you can have fun without being an idiot and without making your neighbors’ lives miserable . . . I hope to see that culture change somewhat. Oxy has acquired somewhat of a party reputation and that’s really not what Occidental College is about, you know? Its a great education.
What specific ways do you think a party environment can coexist with a respectful community relationship?You know we’ve talked about that with students over the years . . . And what they have come back with and said was, ‘What if we have one big blast a year? And we said, ‘Well that would work’ – except who’s going to have it? Which one house is going to have the 300 kids there, or 500 kids? . . . I mean, on this block alone, with the number of student-occupied houses that we have, we could be pretty well busy most of the year with just their ‘one a year’ . . . So I think the answer is tone it down, smaller parties, and understand that you are in a residential community – and if somebody wants to throw a big bash somewhere, the place to do that is go rent a venue. You know, rent a space where you aren’t going to disturb neighbors.
Additional reporting by Martha Carol.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
