During the week of Halloween, Angela McNeill (Director of Student Progress Service) sent an email on behalf of Newcastle University titled ‘Expectations on Living in the Community’. It stated that “the University has received a number of complaints from local residents of noise and antisocial behaviour in the community” and warned students to “bear in mind noise levels from your property and be particularly mindful of those living nearby when outside your property”. But to what extent are emails the best way to communicate this, and how far should Newcastle University be actively associated with student life?
It is well known that Newcastle has a reputation for being a party city. Therefore, it makes sense that Halloween would be widely celebrated by students, many of which chose Newcastle University for its great nightlife and cheap alcohol. In fact, students from Newcastle and Northumbria make up ⅔ of Newcastle’s population.
However, the elderly and young families also live near the university, particularly around second and third-year housing. Understandably, too much noise would disturb those with small children, or early shifts; it’s important that while we live in a student city, we remain mindful of our student footprint. So, as students, it is definitely our responsibility to be respectful of those around us, and the email serves as a reminder of that.
"The unfortunate truth is that universities are stereotypically always going to have antisocial behaviour, particularly around big holidays such as Halloween..."
But should universities be doing more to help the noise complaints? Many students disregard emails and delete them without fully reading them, despite it being our main communication with the university. The unfortunate truth is that universities are stereotypically always going to have antisocial behaviour, particularly around big holidays such as Halloween, where students are allowed free reign away from their own families.
What the email was trying to suggest- whether successful or not- was that we should remember those who do have families, or need a fitful night’s sleep. Just because we can go without sleep doesn’t mean that others can- and perhaps we should all be mature enough to keep this in mind ourselves. After all, there’s nothing scarier on Halloween than being sleep-deprived!
